EA Sports releases the highly anticipated College Football 25 next week, but Florida State football is wrapped up in another game: the conference realignment rumor mill.
This time, there's talk around FSU and Clemson leaving the ACC for the Big 12. Yes, that would mean the Seminoles would be conference rivals with Colorado and its head coach, FSU legend Deion Sanders.
The Big 12 might not be as big a prize as the SEC or Big Ten, a favorite for college football forecasters and fans to place the two schools. But as they wage a legal battle with the ACC over its media rights deal, FSU and Clemson might see new reasons to consider the ever-expanding conference, especially if it acquires the private equity funding that could be the schools' answer to the price of exiting the ACC.
Here's what we know about the Big 12 rumors and the Florida State and Clemson lawsuits against the ACC:
What are the rumors of FSU and Clemson joining the Big 12?
On July 9, Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger released a report from Big 12 football media day about the conference's expansion so far and what might come next. The conference went from 10 teams in 2022 to 16 in 2024, but after losing Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, Commissioner Brett Yormark said it's not over yet.
Dellenger put it this way in his story: "'I guess you could say we are still open for business,' he said with a smile. 'This is not time to press pause.'"
Dellenger went on John Kurtz's YouTube channel afterward and discussed Florida State's and Clemson's options, saying he thinks "there's been at least early conversation between the Big 12 and those schools."
The discussion also brings up the Big 12's attempt to bring private equity money into the mix, possibly allowing FSU and Clemson to pay the hefty fee it would cost to exit the ACC's contracts if it comes to that.
"If it comes to adding blueblood football powers that you need, maybe there's a shot," Dellenger said.
Why is FSU leaving the ACC?
Florida State is trying to exit the ACC's"grant of rights"media deal, which transfers each conference school's media rights over to the conference. Similar agreements exist across college sports, but FSU claims the ACC's deal, which is due to expire in 2036, puts the conference at acompetitive disadvantageagainst the rising powers of the Big Ten and SEC.
On March 27, FSU wrote in a legal filing thatit intended to leave the ACC. "The ACC’s objective is to take that Florida property for the next dozen years after FSU exits the ACC and ceases to be a 'Conference Institution,'" the filing states.
Is Clemson leaving the ACC?
Clemson filed its own lawsuitMarch 19 in Pickens County, South Carolina, taking aim at the ACC's claim that it "irrevocably owns the media rights of member institutions to home games played through 2036, even if an institution ceases to being a member" and "paying an exorbitant $140 million penalty to leave the conference, where members owe the conference fiduciary duties."
The ACC countersued Clemson the following day in North Carolina, similar to what happened in the FSU case.
Why is Florida State suing the ACC?
For years, Florida State leaders have been vocal in their displeasure over the conference's revenue sharing plan. Most complaints circle around the ACC's TV contract with ESPN, which extends through 2036 even asthe network made substantial cuts. The Big Ten signed a seven-year,$8 billion dealto air games betweenFox, CBS and NBCthat went into effect last season. This year, the SEC starts a 10-year,$3 billion dealto move fromCBS to ESPN.
Those deals include huge payouts for the schools. Florida coach Billy Napier said projections show each SEC school would get millions more from the new deal, rising from $55 million topotentially more than $70 million. Florida State athletic director Michael Alford saidBig Ten schoolswill receive about $80 million each year from its TV contract, whereasFSU currently receives $42 million. And on top of that, FSU officials have said it would cost$572 millionto break the ACC's grant of rights deal and exit the conference.
What is the FSU lawsuit about?
The final straw might have been the FSU football team going undefeated and winning the ACC championship but still beingleft out of the College Football Playoff. Outrage from all over Florida started immediately after the CFP announcement December 3, and on December 22, the FSU Board of Trustees voted to sue the conference over its media rights deal.
The ACC countersued in North Carolina, where the conference is headquartered. A Florida circuit judge denied the ACC's motion to stay FSU's lawsuit in Leon County in April (the ruling was made formal June 21), and a state appeals court upheld that decision on June 28. The cases in both states are ongoing.
Is FSU joining the Big 10?
Rumors around Florida State leaving the ACC in favor of the Big Ten have been around for years. A Penn State blog started a fresh new round of speculation on April Fools Day, and while that turned out to be unfounded, there is reason to believe it could happen.
For one, the Big Ten would be able to reach into the prized football state of Florida if FSU were to join, and adding Clemson as a regional rival would make sense and give it a proper foothold in the South. Over the past 30 years, the conference has expanded from its origins in the Midwest to the Atlantic Ocean (Penn State in 1995, Maryland and Rutgers in 2014) and now the Pacific (USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington in 2024).
But for now, FSU and Clemson to the Big Ten are just rumors. And Tuesday, July 16, Action Network's Brett McMurphy released a report that the Big Ten and SEC would be unlikely to add FSU because "they've been a disruptive partner."
How many teams will be in the ACC in 2024? What about the Big 12, Big 10 and SEC?
The ACC is adding California, Stanford and SMU in 2024, giving the conference 15 full-time teams. Notre Dame is also a member in all sports but football, so that would make it 16.
The Big 12 will be up to 16 teams in 2024 after two years of expansion. The conference added BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF in 2023 and welcome Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah this year. However, the conference lost its two flagpole teams, Texas and Oklahoma, to the SEC, which also will field 16 teams in 2024. The Big Ten will have a whopping 18 teams starting in 2024 after bringing in Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.
For those keeping track, that leaves the Pac-12 with just two teams: Oregon State and Washington State.
What's next in the FSU lawsuit vs. the ACC?
A Florida circuit judge on Thursday, July 11 signed an order for the ACC to turn over copies of its media contract with ESPN to Florida State. The deals were central to FSU's lawsuit against the conference. The school must return or destroy the copies within 60 days of the end of litigation.
In North Carolina, a Mecklenberg County judge denied FSU's request to stay that case in April. The school in May asked the North Carolina Supreme Court to review the ruling, and on June 20, the ACC presented its arguments to the court.
Meanwhile, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody sued the ACC in a separate Leon County case demanding to see the media rights and ESPN contracts, claiming Florida's public records laws. A judge said there will be a hearing but has not provided a date.
What's next in the Clemson lawsuit against the ACC?
The same North Carolina judge overseeing the FSU-ACC case on Wednesday, July 10 denied Clemson's motion to stay the case there. Then Friday, July 12, a judge in South Carolina granted Clemson its case for specific jurisdiction in Pickens County, meaning both cases will be allowed to proceed. The ACC will have 30 days to appeal the South Carolina ruling once it is signed and made official.
Tallahassee Democrat reporter Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat sports editor Jim Henry, USA TODAY Network reporter Ehsan Kassim and Greenville News reporter Derrian Carter contributed to this report.
