Clemson, Florida St will leave ACC soon, college football insider predicts

The next phase of college football realignment could involve two blue-blood programs as Clemson and Florida State are looking for a way out of the ACC sooner rather than later.

Clemson could join Florida State in making a break for another conference in a bombshell college football realignment bid. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

The next phase of college football realignment appears to be on the horizon, and it will involve two blue-blood programs, as Clemson and Florida State are looking for a road out of the ACC.

How long that road is, and where it will end is still anyone's guess, but the two schools "are not going to be in the ACC for the permanent future," college football insider Ross Dellenger said on The Paul Finebaum Show recently. "Whether it's two years, three years, five years."

It's not breaking news that Clemson and Florida State want out. Both schools havefiled suit against the ACC with designs on finding a way out of the conference and into another after the national landscape radically shifted following last offseason's historic realignment moves.

Wanting out is one thing. Getting out is another.

Given the ACC's current grant of rights agreement, any school that wants out before that deal expires, in 2036, would have to fork over an exit fee of a reported $140 million, a total that Clemson's lawyers argue is "plainly disproportionate," and "unconscionable and unenforceable."

But that amount wouldn't be the final tally on the receipt. In its own lawsuit against the conference, Florida State alleges the amount would swell to $572 million when considering all other fees, a figure that Clemson agrees with. Neither school believes such an amount is remotely fair.

While the lawyers haggle about the numbers, other questions are also yet to be answered. For instance, where would Clemson and Florida State go if they could leave?

The SEC would make geographic and cultural sense, especially given the schools have rivals in the league: South Carolina and Florida, respectively.

Or the Big Ten could come calling in an effort to expand its already-national footprint into the Southeast in order to gain important recruiting ground in that part of the country.

But at this rate, that all remains speculation, since the SEC or Big Ten would likely have to re-write their contracts with media partners, something they may not feel is appropriate so soon.

Whenever it happens and however much it costs, Clemson and Florida State want out of the ACC, and both feel confident enough to take steps to make that a reality.

-

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks