Steve Spurrier endorses Florida State to SEC amid realignment talk

With college football realignment back in the news, one SEC legend suggests the conference should take on a pair of ACC powerhouses looking for a change.

Steve Spurrier is a Florida man through and through, but he believes the SEC should take a look at rival Florida State. And Clemson, to boot. / USA TODAY Sports

Although it appears Florida State and Clemson have decided against informing the ACC of any intention to leave the conference ahead of their deadline to do so, speculation remains around whether one or both schools will eventually leave the league in the next realignment push.

At least one prominent college football figurehead could see the Seminoles, and maybe even the Tigers, making a move to the SEC in the near future if it comes to that: former Florida Gators player and head coach Steve Spurrier.

"I think FSU definitely belongs in the SEC," Spurrier said on the A Peek Inside Florida Gators Football podcast.

"But Clemson sort of belongs there, also. But I don't know if the SEC wants to go to 18 teams. So I don't know, maybe the Big Ten would like to have them. Who knows? But it is what it is. I think you just go one year at a time and then after that see where you're at and go from there."

Current trends suggest neither the SEC or Big Ten want to add Florida State after sources at schools in both conferences said their respective superiors aren't interested in the brand.

But from a football perspective, the Head Ball Coach thinks both programs would fit into the SEC if there was any more conference realignment.

"They'd do very well the way they played last year," Spurrier said of the Seminoles.

"And I think Clemson would do pretty well. So, again, they would do better in the ACC as far as winning conference championships, but they want to play in the big-time and I think within maybe two or three years they will be in a different conference."

Ever since the last major football realignment that radically changed the marketplace, many ACC schools feel they have been left behind, including Florida State, which brought a lawsuit against the conference challenging its early exit fees. Clemson followed with a suit of its own.

And while the timeline remains an open question as those cases go through the system, most analysts are of the opinion that both schools will eventually leave the ACC.

And should that happen, maybe other schools could potentially follow.

And while the SEC and Big Ten both say they're happy where they are, it would be hard to imagine either league not at least taking a look if it ever came to that.

(Spurrier)

-

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

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks