ACC expansion struggles to get majority from board members, causing obstacles for Cal and Stanford to join conference

The ACC remains the only Power Five conference that has not been affected by realignment. However, that could change as the Atlantic Coast Conference is reportedly targeting both the California Bears and Stanford Cardinal.

College football analyst Jim Williams recently reported that, while the majority of the conference is in favor of expansion, there are still several schools holding out. He tweeted:

"LATEST UPDATE - The majority of the ACC is in favor of this expansion, but four to five of the 15 members are pushing back against the move, per the report from Yahoo sports.

"In order for the expansion to go through, the conference needs a three-fourths majority — 12 votes of the 15 members — to approve any move. Notre Dame receives a vote because it is a partial conference member in football and a full member in all other sports. The Fighting Irish are in favor of the adding Stanford and Cal."

Check out Jim Williams' tweet regarding the expansion below:

While the Florida State Seminoles are reportedly one of the teams who are against the move, it is unclear who the other three schools are. There were previously seven schools, labeled the 'Magnificent 7,' that looked into breaking the conference's grant of rights agreement.

It remains to be seen if the conference will receive enough votes to continue with expansion.

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Which schools made up the ACC's 'Magnificent 7'?

The 'Magificent 7' consists of the Clemson Tigers, Florida State Seminoles, Miami Hurricanes, North Carolina Tar Heels, North Carolina State Wolfpack, Virginia Cavaliers and Virginia Tech Hokies. Brett McMurphy of The Action Network shared the news via Twitter, in May, stating:

"Clemson, FSU, Miami, UNC, NC State, Virginia & Virginia Tech are 'The Magnificent 7' ACC schools, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. These schools, @RossDellenger reported, have met in past several months, w/lawyers examining grant-of-rights to determine just how unbreakable it is. ACC deal runs thru 2036."

Check out Brett McMurphy's tweet below:

If the majority of the conference is in agreement, the grant-of-rights agreement will be dissolved, placing the schools in an interesting position.

However, it is currently unclear if the schools will look to leave the conference or negotiate a new television deal. In order to maintain the majority, the 'Magnificent 7' will need one more program to join them.

While the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC have all been affected by conference realignment, the ACC has not made any moves and appear to be in a standoff. Don't be surprised, however, if that changes soon, one way or the other.