As not just the former president of Clemson University, but the former chairman of the ACC's Council of Presidents, Jim Barker had a front-row seat to many of the major conference realignment movements of the past.
That institutional knowledge gives him some interesting and poignant perspective of the current shifts taking place -- and the possibly existential crisis facing the ACC.
Two years ago, in the midst of Texas and Oklahoma announcing their departure for the SEC, Barker said he hoped the ACC would make a big, bold move. His idea at the time was merging with the Pac-12 to form the "American Coast Conference."
That never happened. And Barker now finds himself gravely concerned for not just the ACC but entire enterprise of college athletics.
"I think we need to blow the whole thing up and start from scratch," he said. "But I don't know how we do that because there's no leader to do it."
Barker served as Clemson's president from 1999 to 2013.
Dabo Retrospective, Part 2
A Dabo Swinney retrospective
Patrick Sapp
Jerome Hall
Cliff Ellis
Tommy West
Thad Turnipseed
Dabo Swinney and Cade Klubnik
Gene Sapakoff
Grayson Mann and Toby Corriston
Paul Strelow
Mike Noonan
Billy Davis
Chris Low
C.D. Davies of the 110 Society
Mickey Plyler
Best of 2023 (Part 2)
Best of 2023 (Part 1)
Dabo Swinney on NSD
Rick Stockstill
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Coach Carvalho Podcast
From Corner2Corner
Golf Podcast: next on the tee
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The MeatEater Podcast