After the Pac-12 imploded, some have begun to wonder if the same would happen to the ACC.
There are signs pointing to impending changes for the league, though it may not be as quick as the Pac-12. Here’s what’s going on with the ACC and what it means for the Group of Five and college football as a whole.
Clemson & FSU’s ACC Status
Clemson, Florida State, and the ACC are reportedly going to vote on Tuesday to settle multiple lawsuits. Those parties have agreed to a model where the two schools will end up earning a bigger share of the revenue from the conference’s television deal.
Clemson and FSU both sued the ACC in the past year over matters related to the ACC’s grant of rights.
Neither school has given official notice that it intends to leave. However, Florida State has expressed frustration with the ACC’s media deal for a long time, saying FSU isn’t making enough to keep up with SEC and Big Ten programs also seeking to win national championships.
For example, the nine FBS leagues recently signed off on a six-year College Football Playoff arrangement through 2031 that would give the Big Ten and SEC nearly twice as much money as the ACC and Big 12.
Florida State argued the ACC mismanaged its TV agreement with ESPN, The Athletic reported. FSU was also seeking for a court in Florida to rule whether the ACC’s grant of rights is legitimate.
Clemson has questioned the legitimacy of the ACC’s grant of rights when it comes to a school leaving the conference.
The ACC maintained that both schools knew and accepted the terms when they agreed to the grant of rights and the ACC’s media deal with ESPN. The ACC has sued both FSU and Clemson and has reportedly argued the two schools had a chance to disagree with those media deals but didn’t within an appropriate amount of time.
Is ACC Realignment On The Horizon?
Sports media experts argued Clemson and Florida State’s cases against the ACC weren’t strong, which would’ve prevented the conference from dissolving anytime soon. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t impossible.
Those schools could come up with the financial means to separate from the ACC, or if things change again, perhaps all parties involved come to an amicable solution which means those two programs can seek a new conference.
But if that did happen, the ACC would be losing arguably its two most valuable members when it comes to college football. And like what happened with the Pac-12, some big-name schools leaving could lead to several others wanting out as well.
Could ACC College Football Teams Be A Part Of Big Ten, SEC, Or Big 12 Expansion?
At the very least, ACC members should be exploring other possibilities if the league fell apart. Programs like Miami, North Carolina, and Louisville could certainly fit with the remaining power conferences. Schools like UNC, Duke, and Virginia would also obviously bring along strong traditions in other sports like men’s basketball as well.
What Do Potential ACC Changes Mean For The Group Of Five?
For the sake of the Group of Five, if the ACC were to completely dissolve, it’s not impossible some programs are left behind by the power leagues.
Perhaps leagues like the AAC or the Sun Belt figure out an arrangement with leftover ACC teams.
Could An ACC Expansion Happen Soon?
The ACC recently added Cal and Stanford, two of the last four teams left in the Pac-12 along with Washington State and Oregon State, though Clemson, Florida State, Miami, and North Carolina voted against it. The conference also added SMU, a former AAC program.
But picking up any more schools seems unlikely at this point, considering the unstable nature of the ACC. If Clemson and Florida State reasserted their long-term commitments to the ACC, perhaps the ACC could add more teams down the road. Some G5 schools like Memphis or Tulane could potentially be good fits.
The ACC Football Conference’s Media Deal In 2024 And Beyond
The ACC’s media deal netted each program about $40 million in 2021-22, according to Yahoo Sports. The deal is set to expire in 2036, though according to FSU’s lawsuit filing that deal might only be guaranteed until 2027.
In comparison, the media deals for the Big Ten and SEC both give over $50 million to each school.
What’s The Exit Fee For FSU And Clemson With The ACC?
A complaint from Clemson in its lawsuit claimed the exit fee for the Tigers to leave the league would be $140 million. The Athletic reported that number is three times as much as the ACC’s annual budget.
But the program’s media rights is another conversation. For example, the cost to buy back FSU’s media rights and leave the league would reportedly be around $572 million.
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How Many ACC Football Teams Are There?
There were 17 teams in the ACC in 2024.
There were 14 football teams that competed in the ACC in 2023. They included: Florida State, Louisville, NC State, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina, Duke, Miami, Boston College, Syracuse, Virginia, Pitt, and Wake Forest.
The ACC also added Stanford and Cal from the Pac-12 last year and picked up former AAC member SMU as well. Notre Dame, though independent, schedules a good number of ACC games.
New College Football Playoff Format
CFP executives unanimously voted to move to straight seeding for the 2025 College Football Playoff. That means the highest-ranked four teams will receive byes, not necessarily the highest-ranked conference champions as was the case before.
The five highest-ranked conference champions and the next-highest ranked seven teams will still make the College Football Playoff field. However, where they end up in the bracket could end up looking different.
Proponents of this rule change argue the highest-ranked teams should be rewarded. However, some argue for more incentive for teams to win their respective conferences. For example, Arizona State was on the bubble at No. 12 in the CFP rankings going into the Big 12 Championship last season. If the Sun Devils had lost that extra game, they might’ve fallen out of the CFP picture. SMU lost the ACC title game but squeezed into the CFP field with the last at-large bid.
This exact format has yet to be approved for the 2026 season, meaning the CFP could go back to the old format – which seems unlikely – or officials go in a new direction altogether.
