Rumor Being Flirted About Clemson Potentially Moving to a Surprise Conference

Clemson could be leaving the ACC, and there are now rumors about joining a different Power 5 conference.

Apr 6, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) drops back to pass during the first quarter of the Clemson spring football game at Memorial Stadium. / Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

College sports are going to look much different moving forward. The Pac-12 lost almost every team as 10 different schools went to the Big Ten, Big 12, or ACC.

It's been an interesting situation for multiple reasons. Having West Coast teams in the ACC and Big Ten isn't common, but it looks like this could just be the start of even more to come.

Clemson is currently in a legal battle with the ACC. Despite Clemson saying they aren't suing the ACC due to wanting to leave the conference, the expectation is for that to be the case.

But if they win this lawsuit and do indeed decide to leave, where would they go? Would the Big 10 want to come south? Would the Big 12 even make sense? Is the SEC in play?

There are a few options.

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports outlined a few potential scenarios for the Tigers when speaking with John Kurtz on Wednesday.

“You look at Florida State and Clemson’s options, the first option would probably be to get into the Big Ten or the SEC,” Dellenger told John Kurtz. “The second option would be, in some way, to reform the ACC with a smaller number of teams where you would be at a financial advantage because you wouldn’t split the TV distribution with 18."

He then added that there have been conversations with the Big 12 and Clemson, an interesting development.

“You look at those options – again, they probably prefer No. 1. I don’t know if that’s gonna happen because the SEC has schools in those states already inand, and the Big Ten, I don’t know how interested they are in coming south. Those things might happen. But I think there is at least early conversation between the Big 12 and those schools about the possibility."

The Big 12 is still an elite-level conference. For football, one could argue that it's better than the ACC, but the ACC likely is better overall. When it comes to basketball, there's a good argument that the Big 12 is much better. In baseball, the ACC is the stronger conference.

Football will always be the focus for Clemson and nearly every other university, but this would be a decision that changes other programs, too.

This could be slow-moving given the legal battle, as Clemson is set to appear in court again on Friday in Pickens County.

When that gets figured out, Clemson will have a chance to go from there and make the decision they feel is best for the university.