Why would any school from a left behind league ever settle regarding a GoR agreement? They are entitled to their media rights income if the break it and they won't get a better deal than that.
Because letting the GOR expire gets them nothing. Letting it get to court a nonzero risk of disaster and if they win, right back to a dead ACC with no chance of that changing. And enough schools agreeing without you, resulting in dissolution, likely a years long court drama in which you’re playing in lower than the American while it’s settled.
Settlement is not only the safest path, it is their only way to leverage the GOR for altering their realignment fate and pay.
A slight premium to the horrible 2016 era deal and a spot in the 3rd super conference is an easy decision. They should be asking for ACC to be made the base of 3rd conference, which given ESPN’s low offer on keeping PAC together, isn’t yet out of question.
If espn was our sole rights holder for next 14 years, you better believe we’d sell OUT for free to have ESPN kill PAC and ACC, roll their leftovers to Big 12, and giving us a premium to balance of our deal. We’d likely give up the premium if needed. Hell, we’re likely still trying to give OUT away for that