What if… Joe has more cards in his hand?

October 30, 2026 -

by TexCane

University of Miami president Joe Echevarria has made it clear Miami wants out of the ACC and will go independent in the process if necessary.

That got us to thinking. Joe Echevarria, former CEO of Deloitte and current president of the University of Miami, could have more cards in his hand than he is showing.

Option A: Go Independent

Joe has publicly stated his opposition tothe PCSA bill under consideration by the U.S. Congress, even if it means taking Miami to independence. However, Joe could have two other options in his back pocket.

Option B: Form a New Conference

For example, what if he also has a plan to form a new power conference within the NCAA. The PCSA doesn’t restrict form a new conference. just schools moving from one conference and joining a “Power 2” conference (SEC or Big Ten.) Realistically, you would need 12 or 13 schools to launch a competitive and attractive conference. Joe could rally ten schools currently in the ACC to vote to disband the ACC, thus no exit fees.

Which schools might that include?

They must bring media rights value. You could start with Miami, Notre Dame, FSU, Clemson, North Carolina. Each are national brands in football or basketball. Then you could consider Duke and UConn, both national brands in basketball. OK, we now stand at seven national brands. Who else will fill out the conference? How about Georgia Tech which resides in the huge Atlanta market? How about SMU, who resides in the huge Dallas-Fort Worth market? How about Virginia Tech with their rabbit fan base? How about Texas Tech or LSU? I can't image they are very happy with their conferences at this time. How about competitive Louisville? How about Pittsburgh in another large TV market?

1. Miami

2. Notre Dame

3. FSU

4. Clemson

5. North Carolina

6. Duke

7. UConn

8. Georgia Tech

9. SMU

10. Virginia Tech

11. Texas Tech or LSU

12. Louisville

13. Pittsburgh

Thirteen schools that would be competitive on the field/court and attractive to a media market. Can you say NBC?

Major national brands (7), major TV markets (9) and a pie that would be divided by a smaller number of schools. The only question would be how big is the pie?

Option C: Form a New College Athletic Association:

If the NCAA says no to this new conference, then these schools could withdraw from the NCAA and form a new college athletic association, bringing another twenty-seven schools (Big-12, Mountain West, PAC, American) into the association.

Who knows, the new 40-school association might even name Joe as its first CEO and Chairman.

Yes, Joe may have more cards in his hand.

Intriguing

GO CANES!