While the ACC settled lawsuits brought against it by Clemson and Florida State, the terms of that truce seemingly give those schools a cheaper way out of the conference in the future, which does technically keep the conversation around realignment open, at least in theory.
And should the day come when those football bluebloods exit the ACC, who would want them?
Not the SEC, according to long-time Southern football watcher Paul Finebaum.
In his view, the SEC would actually be more interested in North Carolina and Virginia, thereby expanding its actual territory, rather than taking Clemson and Florida State, which reside in states where the conference already has a pronounced footprint.
“If you look at what the SEC has done in recent years, they just went out and got Texas and Oklahoma, the premier state schools. That’s important to remember,” Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning.
“North Carolina is a standalone. It’s a preeminent university, but it also has the good athletics and it used to have good basketball. Virginia doesn’t have that, but they are a brand.”
In addition to expanding its geographical coverage, the SEC would also bring on two institutions that have an academic credibility than Clemson and FSU don’t have.
“Clemson is inferior to South Carolina as an academic institution,” he said.
“Then you have the same situation with Florida State. They are behind the other state schools, as well as private schools, in Florida.”
He added: “So I don’t think either one of them have much to offer, and quite frankly I’m not really sure why the Big Ten would want either one of them.”
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While the idea of Clemson and Florida State ever joining the SEC or Big Ten is still pure speculation, the fact remains they are in the ACC now and likely for several years.
That comes after the settlement of the various legal actions against the conference by the schools resulted in a new revenue distribution agreement for higher-earning football programs.
Going forward, the ACC will take a rolling five-year average of TV ratings and pay out more of its money to those schools that bring in more viewership, of which Clemson and Florida State are likely to be a part.
Another key aspect of the settlement is the exit fee for schools wanting to leave the ACC.
If schools leave before 2029-30, they would have to pay around $200 million in total money. But that number drops to under $100 million after that date and falls to $75 million in 2030.
At that point, we’ll see if Clemson and Florida State, or any other school, still has any designs on leaving the ACC, and if anyone would be interested in taking them in.
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