SEC, Big Ten Say No to Florida State

Jul 16, 20243 min read

Florida State's future home for all its athletic sports remains in question. The Seminoles are still fighting with the Atlantic Coast Conference, hoping to get out of their contract and the grant of rights, set to expire in 2036.

Action Network's Brett McMurphy reported today that at least two conferences—the Big Ten Conference and the Southeastern Conference—have already said no to adding Florida State.

At SEC Media Days in Dallas, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has already addressed the possibility of future expansion, saying, “I’ve responded three times where our focus lies. Our focus is on our 16 members. I have a responsibility to pay attention, but I’m certainly not going to fuel speculation on what happens next. We can certainly remain at 16 for a long, long time and remain incredibly successful.”

The Big Ten will host its media days next week. Barring any news coming out this week, we will find out what Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti's view is on expansion.

Even without hearing Petitti speak, there is already some bad news on how Florida State is viewed. As a source in McMurphy's piece stated about the Seminoles, "There are too many negatives; they’ve proven to be a disruptive partner. Even if you got them in a similar discounted rate as the Oregon and Washington deal, do you trust them as a partner?”

How Did Florida State Get Here?

Florida State's quest to leave the ACC began after the Seminoles were excluded from the College Football Playoff despite an undefeated regular season.

Once Florida State was left out of it, Florida's attorney general announced an investigation into the Seminoles' exclusion. In announcing it, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said the inquiry would see "if the Committee was involved in any anticompetitive conduct. As it stands, the Committee’s decision reeks of partiality, so we are demanding answers—not only for FSU but for all schools, teams and fans of college football."

When Florida State's Board of Trustees called a meeting last December to formally decide on suing the conference, one of the reasons Florida State wanted out, according to Florida State University Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins, was due to the lack of revenue Florida State was receiving.

"Unfortunately, at the same time, Florida State's annual payout from the ACC is the smallest percentage of any school's overall athletic budget, and (in) the conference next year, the funding gap between the ACC and the two other conferences will grow to over $30 million per team per year."

Collins said, "It's one thing to fundraise and make up $7 million. It's another entirely to make up over $30-to-40 million annually."

Since last December, the Seminoles have at least added one partner in trying to get out of the ACC. It happens to be conference rival Clemson, which filed a lawsuit this past March.

There is no timeline for when this matter will be resolved. So, as of right now, both schools will be ACC members for the foreseeable future.

What Happens Next?

With no timetable on when the matter will be resolved and Flordia State already being told no by the Big Ten and SEC, where do the Seminoles go from here? Most likely, if a conference is going to add schools, then Clemson will probably come along for the ride.

The Big 12 is happy about its prospects of having 16 member schools. If the Big 12 were to add more schools, such as Florida State and potentially Clemson, then it could become the next college football super conference.

There's also the now-depleted Pac-12, which is down to two members in Washington State and Oregon State. Adding members in the coming years will be essential if the Pac-12 wants to be relevant. If Florida State and Clemson can leave the ACC, then it might force the Pac-12 to buck the tradition of being a West Coast league and begin the process of rebuilding.

Before we can discuss what's next, though, the court system will decide whether Florida State can leave before the rights grant expires in 2036.