As the Pac-12 Conference fell apart in summer 2023, a lifeline came for San Francisco Bay Area institutions Cal and Stanford from an unlikely destination: the Atlantic Coast Conference.On Tuesday, the Golden Bears and Cardinal football programs received formal introductions to their cross-country conference mates during ACC media days in Charlotte, N.C.Cal coach Justin Wilcox was asked about his team’s “wild” schedule, in which the Golden Bears will travel to Auburn in Week 2 before flying 2,200-plus miles to Tallahassee just two weeks later to take on Florida State in ACC play.”If you would have asked me two or three years ago, I probably wouldn’t have thought that,” said Wilcox, entering his eighth season at the helm.Wilcox’s statement could be classified as the biggest understatement of college football’s media-day season. But it also underscores the dramatic changes to the sport in less than 12 months — changes that may well be still ongoing.”We’re just excited and really grateful to be in this conference, to play against great teams,” said Taylor, entering his second year leading the Cardinal. “… To be in the ACC, to be here with y’all, it’s an important part of who we are.”Stanford, one of the nation’s premier programs in the 2010s, embarks on 2024 looking to snap out of a recent funk that produced three straight 3-9 finishes. Cal, meanwhile, jumps into the ACC fray boasting one of the top offensive weapons in the nation with running back Jaydn Ott.Ott followed an 897-yard, eight-touchdown freshman season with 1,315 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns, and another two scores via receptions in 2023. He enters the 2024 campaign 15 rushing touchdowns shy of tying Russell White for the program’s career record, and he’s only 1,156 yards away from passing White’s career yardage mark of 3,367.”That’s an awesome feeling,” Ott said of continuing his pursuit of history in the ACC. “Being able to play some new competition, the ACC has a lot of rich history. These are some teams that I watched growing up. I also have some buddies and family (in the conference’s regional footprint). My cousin D.J. (Uiagalelei), he’s playing at Florida State. We’ll see him again this year.”