I think there were distinct possibilities that had the deal with ND not come about you would have been looking at potentially losing some other ACC schools, a significantly diminished negotiating position with the networks and no long term grant of rights deal. Instead of debating whether the ACC is 3 or 4 in the current Power 5 group is likely a nonstarter and the ACC rather than the Big 12 would be the speculation as to how the carcass would be picked by the eventually surviving P-4 structure. In my mind, VT had seen this before in the Big East where Tranghese basically became the small, private catholic schools' bitch instead of standing up for the conference as a whole. While there are lots of things to criticize Swofford and the ACC for he has to at least be given credit for recognizing football was driving the bus and basically telling the basketball royals to sit down and shut up as decisions had to be made for the long term viability of the conference not just ACC basketball.