North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham discussed the potential of the ACC joining with the Pac-12 to form a combined super conference, according to a report from Andrew Carter of the News & Observer.

Carter reports that the inquiry began at the end of June when word got out that USC and UCLA were leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten. The text messages revealed that Cunningham had spoken to former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, a graduate of UNC.

“Had a long call with Jim Delany tonight,” Cunningham wrote in his text to university chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, referencing the former Big Ten commissioner who led that conference from 1989 through 2020. “He preaches patience and planning. No need to rush right now.”

With the ACC severely lagging behind the SEC and Big Ten in TV dollars, the conference is exploring every opportunity to close that gap. Guskiewicz seemed like he was on board with Cunningham’s thinking.

Guskiewicz was intrigued: “We could have a super conference both athletically and academically,” he responded. “Probably would need to be called the Atlantic-Pacific Athletic Conference (APAC). Maybe that’s crazy, but if it would get us a better TV deal, it may be worth considering.”

It’s a very good read into the current thinking of the leadership of at least one ACC school, and it’s likely those thoughts and concerns are similar at other ACC programs.