College football expansion: 1 ACC school could make exit decision soon, per report

Florida State has been talking about leaving the ACC and some inside the conference say the school sounds serious

Amid rumors and speculation that Florida State was interested in leaving the ACC at some point, and after the school's president admitted as much during a recent board meeting, all eyes are currently on the Seminoles to make the next move in college football conference realignment, according to insiders.

Florida State, like all other ACC schools, had until Aug. 15 to tell the conference if it wanted to leave by next summer, but now many inside the league are of the opinion that FSU will give the ACC notice of its intention to exit in time for 2025 in a matter of days or weeks, according to Sports Illustrated.

Florida State is not happy

It has been known for some time that Florida State, among others, was not pleased with the financial situation in the ACC. This offseason, it was revealed to be one of the so-called "Magnificent Seven" schools that were scouting a possible exit from the ACC's grant of rights agreement that expires in 2036.

The ACC responded by announcing a plan to direct revenue in a different way going forward, revealing an "incentive initiative" in the hopes that it would satisfy those schools. Judging by McCullough's comments, it doesn't appear that will be enough.

In early August, he told the board of trustees: "I believe FSU will have to, at some point consider very seriously leaving the ACC unless there is a radical change to the ACC's revenue distribution."

But how?

That remains the big question for Florida State or any other ACC school looking for a new conference as the process is expected to be extremely costly and litigious.

Initial reporting has valued the ACC exit fee at around $120 million for teams looking to depart before that 2036 date, although some insiders have estimated that the price could be almost five times that when taking all the fees into account.

Florida State reportedly is considering a partnership with banks to raise money through private equity in a move some believe is an attempt to acquire the capital needed to mount an exit.

Where would FSU go?

If we take geography into account, the SEC would be the most likely destination for Florida State, as well as Clemson, which is also reportedly looking into making a move as one of those Magnificent Seven schools.

But would the SEC want to expand further into territory where it already has a large presence, in the form of the South Carolina Gamecocks and Florida Gators? 

Both those schools are already rivals with their ACC counterparts in-state and neither brand would bring the SEC a new media market it doesn't already have.

That could leave the Big Ten, which hasn't been shy about its radical expansion plans the last two offseasons, adding USC and UCLA a year ago, and Oregon and Washington this summer, both effective next July.

Should the B1G add the Seminoles, it would potentially do so alongside Clemson in a move that would bring the conference to 20 members.

We're a long way from answering those questions, but they are questions that will be answered at some point if Florida State feels it has to make a move.

(SI)

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