There’s not likely to be any movement within the ACC over the next couple of seasons.
According to a report by Pete Thamel of ESPN, there’s no expectation that Florida State or Clemson will notify the ACC of an intention to leave by the Aug. 15 deadline to depart after the upcoming season, which is the deadline to declare intention to exit in the 2025-26 season.
Florida State and Clemson have been in the rumor mill for months, with reports of exits and legal battles currently unfolding, but the two programs seem destined to stay in the ACC for now. And even if FSU and Clemson would be able to exit the conference, the path forward is murky.
After reports of the Big 12 having interest in Florida State and Clemson surfaced over the weekend, Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported that the Seminoles would likely not have a place in the Big Ten or SEC should they force their way out of the ACC and the conference survives.
McMurphy reported that it doesn’t make financial sense for either conference, there’s no appetite for further expansion and that Florida State has shown it’s not a good partner.
Although, one source told McMurphy that things could change if the ACC were to implode.
“There is no appetite among the presidents unless there is some catastrophic development with the ACC and it forces [the Big Ten] into a decision,” the source said.
“If the ACC blows up, who picks first [between the Big Ten and SEC]? Who picks second? If there is a need and desire to expand, you take inventory so your competitors don’t get it. But the presidents and chancellors are looking for stability. Despite what the social media geniuses are suggesting, no one — the leagues, the networks — is driving expansion.”
It’s no secret that the ACC is lagging behind the Big Ten and SEC in terms of television deals and revenue generated and distributed amongst member schools, and it makes sense that programs would like the security and benefits that come with being in the “Power Two.”
But with the expensive and complicated Grant of Rights, a television deal locked in until 2036, it seems unlikely that either Florida State or Clemson will be able to exit the conference in the near future.
