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[QUOTE="HtownOrange, post: 5462329, member: 622"]
It may be less of a pipe dream when one considers:

1) ESPN owns part of the SECN and the ACC. 
2) ESPN lacks any other substantive influence in the northeast markets for college sports and giving up the northeast.  
3) ESPN would be losing market share in the northeast to their prime competitor, Fox.
4) The SECN and SEC would be the only regional major conference.
5) Hoops is still too big of a prize to lose without a fight.  At the estimated 25% value of the ACC deal, hoops is worth north of $100MM annually for ESPN and the ACC, each.

Combined, the above makes one believe ESPN will either keep the ACC and ACCN intact or combine enough of the ACC with the SEC to ensure the money steams keep flowing.

The real issue is how do they pull it off.  The SEC will not kill off the ACC without ESPN's blessing, which means ESPN is holding onto a lot of properties one way or another.  Currently, SU caries NY, Pitt carries PA, and BC carries MA, or about 36MM people.  VA, NC and SC are far short of that.

I understand that people want to pretend it is small markets but cable has not died off and likely won't anytime soon, the House of Mouse empire will not cut one source of revenue when they can have both, cable and streaming.  Yeah, the CA and TX additions are market based but that argument will fail if ESPN and Fox do not convert other deals to the market format v. State format.  It is more likely that CA and TX reach a more lucrative deal down the road.  Regardless, if the additions prove more valuable, the revenue the ACCN generated is split 50/50 so both sides win.
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