In December 2023, Florida State and Clemson filed a lawsuit against the ACC “in response to years of mismanagement that has left its member schools trapped in a deteriorating multi-media rights agreement while preventing them from joining other conferences because of ‘draconian’ withdrawal penalties,” according to a Florida State press release at the time.
Ultimately, Florida State and Clemson were forced to settle with the ACC, which changed the league’s revenue distribution model and significantly reduced penalties for schools wanting to leave the conference before 2036.
There hasn’t been much movement since, and as the NCAA begs Congress to bail itself out of the mess it has created for itself by clinging to its archaic rules far past their legal standing in court, the Protect College Sports Act has emerged as the federal government’s latest attempt to control college sports while providing the NCAA with the antitrust exemption it covets.
Proposed amendment to the Protect College Sports Act would present FSU with an ACC-exit plan
The original version of the bill didn’t have the support of the Big Ten and the SEC, the true power brokers, but a revised version got their seal of approval. The bill would cap conferences to 19 programs, essentially leaving a spot for Notre Dame in the Big Ten, and create a five-year probationary period for Power 4 schools attempting to move conferences. The provision is designed to halt realignment.
Now, with a vote on the Senate floor approaching, Ross Dellenger of Yahoo is reporting that ACC schools are putting their weight behind an amendment, proposed by Florida Senator Ashley Moody, that would create an exception permitting P4 schools to move conferences without the 5-year probationary period.
The catch is that, as Dellenger explains, “those schools would need to withdraw from their conference within 180 days of the bill’s enactment.”
Florida State’s ACC exit timeline could get sped up
While Texas and Oklahoma fled the Big 12 for the SEC, as it signed a massive new TV rights deal with ESPN, and Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington dismantled the Pac-12 to sweeten the pot for the Big Ten’s mega-deal with FOX, the ACC’s lengthy deal with ESPN proved ironclad and harsh exit fees held the league together as it absorbed Cal, SMU, and Stanford.
Now, after back-to-back losing seasons and as Clemson is on an unmistakable downturn, the door could be open for those programs to finally escape. Miami, too, would likely attempt to jump ship if the opportunity to join the SEC with its massive TV revenues presented itself.
Miami would be coveted by the SEC and the Big Ten if there is a way to expand beyond 19 teams or boot a few bottom feeders. Florida State, with its massive fanbase and historic brand, likely would too, but the Seminoles would certainly not be negotiating from the position of strength they had back in 2023, coming off an undefeated season and an ACC title.
This amendment wouldn’t be pushed by a Florida senator if the big schools in Florida that aren’t already in a Power 2 conference weren’t looking to make a move. So, it’s safe to assume that there is something in the works, or at least being explored. How serious it is will only be revealed when and, more importantly, if, the amendment is approved and the bill ultimately becomes a law.
After a vote in the Senate, it will be scrutinized and voted on by the House of Representatives. That will be the final hurdle, as it seems to have President Trump’s support, especially considering Texas Senator Ted Cruz was one of the primary authors of the bipartisan bill.
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