July 23, 2025 • 9 mins
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Live from Uptown. We are joined by the Senior Vice
President for ACC Football, Michael Strickland, joining us live here
on Radio Row and Michael, I appreciate you popping in.
I wasn't sure if you were going to make it today,
and then when you showed up, I was very happy
you did. Kyle, wouldn't miss it for anything. Oh absolutely, man,
Well listen you every day. I assume you're just neck
deep in all things ACC football and you know, getting
(00:20):
this conference ready for another big season. For the folks
out there that don't know what the senior VP of
ACC Football does, what is your day today.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, I'm the.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Sport administrator for for Football, so I handle a primary
point of contact for all things related to our administration
of the sport. So coordinate liaison with our head football
coaches and their staffs and athletic directors on.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Football related topics.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Build the schedule, the intraconference schedule on an annual basis,
work with ESPN to make sure those games get on
the right networks at the right time, sure to maximize
our exposure. We had all of our regular season football
operations and policies and procedures, game management, officiating, all of
our non CFP Bowl agreements, the Championship Game administration, and
working with the Panthers and UP Sports and the Shawan
(01:00):
Sports Foundation to make sure that First Saturday in December
at Bank of America Stadium is a success for us.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And then advocating for the ACC position.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
On things from a national perspective of instat Play Football
Oversight Committee at AFCA, National Football Foundation.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Organizations such as that, to make sure.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
We're doing everything we can to put our programs in
the best possible position for success, but also be carecagers
of the game. The game of college football is important
to us now, but we're just the current caretakers and
there'll be somebody behind us. We got to make sure
we leave it, you know, certainly as good as we
found it, hopefully better off.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Than we found it.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Steward's of the game that we all love, right absolutely.
So one of the things that I was thinking about
as you walked up too, is that has it been
two years since you guys moved to Charlotte.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
It's been two years.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
We've had two full seasons, so we're going into our
third season with the new office space there on six
twenty South Trion Street.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
So I was there the day of the press conference
and the ribbon cutting and every their flag raising and
everything else, and I was so happy to get you
guys here because we're just down the street most days.
So I love that you're here now with Just what's
it been like to be Lowcate hated here the last
couple of years. How has it changed things in terms
of partnerships or your ability to administer football? Just what's
it like being in Charlotte now full time?
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Well selfishly as a staff member that gets to work
in a beautiful office building and then you go down
twelve stories and you've got walk ability in uptown Charlotte
for you know, lunch spots that we didn't have that
at our old place, you know, up the road. So
that's been great from an employee experience perspective. But it's
less about that and more about what's good for the
organization and so the connectivity to our membership, all of
our membership can fly directly, you know, into Charlotte and
(02:29):
the world class airport that we've got here, so our
ability to meet and hold be more efficient with our
with our business operations. That's certainly been very helpful Our
partnership with ESPN. They've got a huge presidence out in
the Valentine areas who are much closer to them and
our day to day points of contact with Acency Network,
so we're in much better shape there from a connectivity perspective,
and then the business story relationships that you mentioned.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
It's opened up a lot of doors for us.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
We've also had an anchor here with the football championship game,
but men's basketball was back here at Spectrum last year.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Be back again.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
See the women's basketball tournament start to rotate through here
as well. On an ongoing basis, baseball will be be
here in Uptown next May. So we're looking to bring
as much of our of our activity to Charlotte as possible.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Michael strick Lind, Senior Vice president ACC Football. He's here
with us on Radio Row.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
I want to ask you.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
About the playoff because obviously that's been a huge topic
of conversation for for a while.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Now.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Is five to eleven right, that's being pitched. Some conferences
like it, some don't. The other one what'll be calling it?
Four four three two one one three three, I don't
know what the exact common we got to rebrand that
one a little bit. But uh, just for the folks
that might not know what is the conference's position on
you know, what they hope a new college football playoff
could look like, and you know the ACC stake and
roll in it.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
The commissioner touched on it a little bit yesterday in
this forum. But our position is that we believe, uh,
conference championships matter, right. We need to protect the integrity
and specialness of conference championship games and conference championships. So, uh,
the five aqs for the for the conference champions out
of the four Power four conferences and the highest rank
of the G six conferences. We are strong proponents of
(04:02):
that continuing well into the future. We're not opposed to
expansion of the playoffs, so with the twelve team format now,
we're not opposed to increasing the size of the field
of fourteen or sixteen teams. Not sure we need to
go much much larger than sixteen, because you got to
have teams that have earned their way in and have
a legitimate chance to win the championship.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Ye, that's the only reason you need to be in
the tournament.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
But we believe that large access is really what's fair
and right about the sport. From season to season, conferences
are stronger and weaker. That is not a fixed, a
dynamic from on an annual basis. So we've got to
have the ability across the country for teams to improve
(04:44):
from year to year and line up on the field
and earn it. We love our non conference games that
we've got. We've got the strongest non conference schedule of
any conference in America twenty seven to eight four games,
nine more than the next closest. And so that's a
great way to compare your conferences strength and depth against others,
And so our coaches and our athletic director's strong components
of protecting the conference champs and then let everybody else
(05:06):
earn it on a field.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Now, something else you mentioned the Commissioner's forum yesterday. I
was in there for that, and you know, it struck
me as really interesting that Jim basically said, hey, you
know that twenty and a half million dollar number from
the House settlement. You know, he's encouraging the other conferences
and ads and coaches.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
We got to stick to this, right.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
We don't want to undermine this new structure before we
ever really get started. Realistically, though, like, what do we
expect that teams are going to adhere to this like?
And what effects? How confident are you? I guess that
Brian Seeley and the College Sports Commission can truly govern
this in a meaningful way.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
We are very confident and very positive about the new
structure moving forward. The revenue sharing system that's in place
provides a kind of a level footing for everybody to
be equally competitive, legitimate, nil, there's a pathway for that,
and if you're worth it, you'll you'll get it.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
But the pay of play stuff that was happening, that
was the piece that needed to be rained in and
that was.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
All covered under the settlement. So we're really satisfied with
that structure. We have a lot of faith in Brian
and the new CSC structure. We've always talked for years
about we wish there would be enforcement, we wish there
would be enforcement. Well, now we've got a structure that's
much more likely to be successful from.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
An enforcement perspective. But I would look at my watcher.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
We're twenty three days in to the new structure, and
his commissioner mentioned yesterday we need to show some patients.
Give Brian and his staff that he's still building. Give
them a chance. It's not gonna happen overnight, but have faith.
And then it's on all of us to be adults
in the room and not intentionally try to undermine the system.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
You know in the first three weeks.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Ye don't try to cut corners, don't try to find
the gray area. This is what we wanted, this is
what we think is in the best interest of the sport.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
It's good for our student athletes.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
So let's all stay committed to helping it be as
successful as it POSSI we can't I.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Go back to I think it was a year ago.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
There was the whole discussion the report maybe that some
of the ACC coaches had basically said, you know, where's
our Paul finebam, you know why is the the ACC network?
Why why don't we get the same advocacy from the
network that they get over there. We had a lot
of conversations about that last year, you know, being here
in Charlotte, it was obviously a big topic of conversation
for us in particular, but just in terms of like
I saw them rolling out yesterday, ACC Huddle is going
(07:23):
to be at the Big Games this year and I'm
really excited about that.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
I have friends of the network.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
But what are your thoughts on, you know, the coverage
of the conference and how you know it should be
advocated for via the media. How much did that conversation
resonate with you and what are your thoughts on You.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Are spot on with your recollection of what the coaches
have been saying over the years. And yesterday's announcement by
ACC Network with the hiring of Jimbo Fisher as the
newest talent on ACC network. That is intentional and Jimbo
has always been outspoken about what his thoughts are regarding
college football, and so we think he's going to get
on the air and mix it up a little bit.
(07:56):
So I was we were just upstairs with with with
Pat Nardozy and I want to asked him, how do
you feel about it?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
He goes, I love it. I love it. That's exactly
what we've been talking about. Right.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It's almost like you were you're listening on that conversation. So, uh,
we're excited about what that's going to look like. And
it should be something that the viewers will want to
tune in and hear what he has to say. Maybe
he'll go after it a little bit back and forth
with Paul, you know, across across the different airways that
in the Disney family networks, and we'll have some fun
with it.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Yeah, I'm looking forward to that. I mean, do you
how there are a lot of folks who feel like
this conference is unfairly maligned, right, how much do you
agree with that? Just in terms of its football depth
year over year, Well, thirteen Bowl eligible teams led the
country last year. That's just a fact, yep. Uh So
I can't argue with that. If you want to talk about.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Depth and recency of depth, we went deeper than any
other conference in America last year. So that's a pretty
good standard to evaluate. How many teams did you send
in the playoff? Well, we sent multiple teams to the playoff.
Only three conferences were a multi bed league, and we
were one of the three.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
You look at where teams that have won a national
championship since nineteen eighty.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Raett last they talked about this yesterday in his comments.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
They all reside in three conferences, the SEC, the ACC
and the Big Ten. And we've got just as many
national championships in that time as the Big Ten.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Facts, Right, it's hard to argue with these numbers, all right.
Michael Strickland, Senior Vice president ACC Football here with us
on Radio Row. I've enjoyed it. I think I can
keep you for an hour and ask you questions, but
I can't do that. So it's great to meet you.
I appreciate the time. Maybe we can chat against so
love to thank you. Michael Strickland with us here on
Radio Row.
Live from Uptown. We are joined by the Senior Vice
President for ACC Football, Michael Strickland, joining us live here
on Radio Row and Michael, I appreciate you popping in.
I wasn't sure if you were going to make it today,
and then when you showed up, I was very happy
you did. Kyle, wouldn't miss it for anything. Oh absolutely, man,
Well listen you every day. I assume you're just neck
deep in all things ACC football and you know, getting
(00:20):
this conference ready for another big season. For the folks
out there that don't know what the senior VP of
ACC Football does, what is your day today.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, I'm the.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Sport administrator for for Football, so I handle a primary
point of contact for all things related to our administration
of the sport. So coordinate liaison with our head football
coaches and their staffs and athletic directors on.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Football related topics.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
Build the schedule, the intraconference schedule on an annual basis,
work with ESPN to make sure those games get on
the right networks at the right time, sure to maximize
our exposure. We had all of our regular season football
operations and policies and procedures, game management, officiating, all of
our non CFP Bowl agreements, the Championship Game administration, and
working with the Panthers and UP Sports and the Shawan
(01:00):
Sports Foundation to make sure that First Saturday in December
at Bank of America Stadium is a success for us.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And then advocating for the ACC position.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
On things from a national perspective of instat Play Football
Oversight Committee at AFCA, National Football Foundation.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Organizations such as that, to make sure.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
We're doing everything we can to put our programs in
the best possible position for success, but also be carecagers
of the game. The game of college football is important
to us now, but we're just the current caretakers and
there'll be somebody behind us. We got to make sure
we leave it, you know, certainly as good as we
found it, hopefully better off.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Than we found it.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Steward's of the game that we all love, right absolutely.
So one of the things that I was thinking about
as you walked up too, is that has it been
two years since you guys moved to Charlotte.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
It's been two years.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
We've had two full seasons, so we're going into our
third season with the new office space there on six
twenty South Trion Street.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
So I was there the day of the press conference
and the ribbon cutting and every their flag raising and
everything else, and I was so happy to get you
guys here because we're just down the street most days.
So I love that you're here now with Just what's
it been like to be Lowcate hated here the last
couple of years. How has it changed things in terms
of partnerships or your ability to administer football? Just what's
it like being in Charlotte now full time?
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Well selfishly as a staff member that gets to work
in a beautiful office building and then you go down
twelve stories and you've got walk ability in uptown Charlotte
for you know, lunch spots that we didn't have that
at our old place, you know, up the road. So
that's been great from an employee experience perspective. But it's
less about that and more about what's good for the
organization and so the connectivity to our membership, all of
our membership can fly directly, you know, into Charlotte and
(02:29):
the world class airport that we've got here, so our
ability to meet and hold be more efficient with our
with our business operations. That's certainly been very helpful Our
partnership with ESPN. They've got a huge presidence out in
the Valentine areas who are much closer to them and
our day to day points of contact with Acency Network,
so we're in much better shape there from a connectivity perspective,
and then the business story relationships that you mentioned.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
It's opened up a lot of doors for us.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
We've also had an anchor here with the football championship game,
but men's basketball was back here at Spectrum last year.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Be back again.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
See the women's basketball tournament start to rotate through here
as well. On an ongoing basis, baseball will be be
here in Uptown next May. So we're looking to bring
as much of our of our activity to Charlotte as possible.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Michael strick Lind, Senior Vice president ACC Football. He's here
with us on Radio Row.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
I want to ask you.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
About the playoff because obviously that's been a huge topic
of conversation for for a while.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Now.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Is five to eleven right, that's being pitched. Some conferences
like it, some don't. The other one what'll be calling it?
Four four three two one one three three, I don't
know what the exact common we got to rebrand that
one a little bit. But uh, just for the folks
that might not know what is the conference's position on
you know, what they hope a new college football playoff
could look like, and you know the ACC stake and
roll in it.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
The commissioner touched on it a little bit yesterday in
this forum. But our position is that we believe, uh,
conference championships matter, right. We need to protect the integrity
and specialness of conference championship games and conference championships. So, uh,
the five aqs for the for the conference champions out
of the four Power four conferences and the highest rank
of the G six conferences. We are strong proponents of
(04:02):
that continuing well into the future. We're not opposed to
expansion of the playoffs, so with the twelve team format now,
we're not opposed to increasing the size of the field
of fourteen or sixteen teams. Not sure we need to
go much much larger than sixteen, because you got to
have teams that have earned their way in and have
a legitimate chance to win the championship.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Ye, that's the only reason you need to be in
the tournament.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
But we believe that large access is really what's fair
and right about the sport. From season to season, conferences
are stronger and weaker. That is not a fixed, a
dynamic from on an annual basis. So we've got to
have the ability across the country for teams to improve
(04:44):
from year to year and line up on the field
and earn it. We love our non conference games that
we've got. We've got the strongest non conference schedule of
any conference in America twenty seven to eight four games,
nine more than the next closest. And so that's a
great way to compare your conferences strength and depth against others,
And so our coaches and our athletic director's strong components
of protecting the conference champs and then let everybody else
(05:06):
earn it on a field.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Now, something else you mentioned the Commissioner's forum yesterday. I
was in there for that, and you know, it struck
me as really interesting that Jim basically said, hey, you
know that twenty and a half million dollar number from
the House settlement. You know, he's encouraging the other conferences
and ads and coaches.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
We got to stick to this, right.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
We don't want to undermine this new structure before we
ever really get started. Realistically, though, like, what do we
expect that teams are going to adhere to this like?
And what effects? How confident are you? I guess that
Brian Seeley and the College Sports Commission can truly govern
this in a meaningful way.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
We are very confident and very positive about the new
structure moving forward. The revenue sharing system that's in place
provides a kind of a level footing for everybody to
be equally competitive, legitimate, nil, there's a pathway for that,
and if you're worth it, you'll you'll get it.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
But the pay of play stuff that was happening, that
was the piece that needed to be rained in and
that was.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
All covered under the settlement. So we're really satisfied with
that structure. We have a lot of faith in Brian
and the new CSC structure. We've always talked for years
about we wish there would be enforcement, we wish there
would be enforcement. Well, now we've got a structure that's
much more likely to be successful from.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
An enforcement perspective. But I would look at my watcher.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
We're twenty three days in to the new structure, and
his commissioner mentioned yesterday we need to show some patients.
Give Brian and his staff that he's still building. Give
them a chance. It's not gonna happen overnight, but have faith.
And then it's on all of us to be adults
in the room and not intentionally try to undermine the system.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
You know in the first three weeks.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Ye don't try to cut corners, don't try to find
the gray area. This is what we wanted, this is
what we think is in the best interest of the sport.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
It's good for our student athletes.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
So let's all stay committed to helping it be as
successful as it POSSI we can't I.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Go back to I think it was a year ago.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
There was the whole discussion the report maybe that some
of the ACC coaches had basically said, you know, where's
our Paul finebam, you know why is the the ACC network?
Why why don't we get the same advocacy from the
network that they get over there. We had a lot
of conversations about that last year, you know, being here
in Charlotte, it was obviously a big topic of conversation
for us in particular, but just in terms of like
I saw them rolling out yesterday, ACC Huddle is going
(07:23):
to be at the Big Games this year and I'm
really excited about that.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
I have friends of the network.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
But what are your thoughts on, you know, the coverage
of the conference and how you know it should be
advocated for via the media. How much did that conversation
resonate with you and what are your thoughts on You.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Are spot on with your recollection of what the coaches
have been saying over the years. And yesterday's announcement by
ACC Network with the hiring of Jimbo Fisher as the
newest talent on ACC network. That is intentional and Jimbo
has always been outspoken about what his thoughts are regarding
college football, and so we think he's going to get
on the air and mix it up a little bit.
(07:56):
So I was we were just upstairs with with with
Pat Nardozy and I want to asked him, how do
you feel about it?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
He goes, I love it. I love it. That's exactly
what we've been talking about. Right.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It's almost like you were you're listening on that conversation. So, uh,
we're excited about what that's going to look like. And
it should be something that the viewers will want to
tune in and hear what he has to say. Maybe
he'll go after it a little bit back and forth
with Paul, you know, across across the different airways that
in the Disney family networks, and we'll have some fun
with it.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Yeah, I'm looking forward to that. I mean, do you
how there are a lot of folks who feel like
this conference is unfairly maligned, right, how much do you
agree with that? Just in terms of its football depth
year over year, Well, thirteen Bowl eligible teams led the
country last year. That's just a fact, yep. Uh So
I can't argue with that. If you want to talk about.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Depth and recency of depth, we went deeper than any
other conference in America last year. So that's a pretty
good standard to evaluate. How many teams did you send
in the playoff? Well, we sent multiple teams to the playoff.
Only three conferences were a multi bed league, and we
were one of the three.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
You look at where teams that have won a national
championship since nineteen eighty.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Raett last they talked about this yesterday in his comments.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
They all reside in three conferences, the SEC, the ACC
and the Big Ten. And we've got just as many
national championships in that time as the Big Ten.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Facts, Right, it's hard to argue with these numbers, all right.
Michael Strickland, Senior Vice president ACC Football here with us
on Radio Row. I've enjoyed it. I think I can
keep you for an hour and ask you questions, but
I can't do that. So it's great to meet you.
I appreciate the time. Maybe we can chat against so
love to thank you. Michael Strickland with us here on
Radio Row.
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