The ACC’s announcement on Friday to add Stanford, Cal and SMU as members starting in 2024-25 further consolidates elite athletic programs into four of the five Power Five conferences.

The Pac-“12” is now left with only Washington State and Oregon State as programs committed (for now) beyond next season.

The consolidation continues a pattern that began earlier in the summer when Colorado bolted for the Big 12 and, in two ways, could carry major legal ramifications for college sports.