Clemson Confirms Status With ACC After Filing Lawsuit Against League

The school says it plans to remain in the ACC for now.

It appears as if the Clemson Tigers see the writing on the wall for the ACC.

With the approval of the expansion of the College Football Playoff last week to 14 teams, effective beginning in 2026, which will only further skew revenue disparity toward the Big Ten and SEC, Clemson has filed a lawsuit against the ACC formally challenging the conference’s Grant of Rights.

Clemson announced its decision in a release, stating that the lawsuit was filed in Pickens County, S.C. Clemson is seeking confirmation of “the plain language found in the Grant of Rights agreements and the related media agreements between the ACC and ESPN” and that the agreements “when read together, plainly state that Clemson controls its media rights for games played if it is no longer a member of the ACC.”

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has built the Tigers into a flagship ACC program, but the school is taking legal aim at the conference over media rights and a $140 million exit fee :: Rob Kinnan/USA TODAY Sports

In addition, Clemson is seeking a ruling regarding the “unenforceability of the severe penalty the ACC is seeking to impose upon exiting members.”

However, Clemson has made it clear that it remains a member of the ACC and has no formal plans to leave the conference. 

In plain language, Clemson does not want to incur a $140 million exit fee by violating the league’s Grant of Rights if the program leaves the conference. If Clemson does choose to leave the ACC, it hopes to control its television rights while doing so.

Clemson is the second ACC school to sue the conference over the Grant of Rights, joining fellow football powerhouse Florida State. 

As conference realignment continues to unfold, the futures of Clemson and Florida State in the ACC remain uncertain at best. If the ACC loses those schools, both of which have captured national championships in the past decade, the future of the conference will be in doubt.