Florida State sports are in a solid spot considering how bad the football program has been over the past two years. FSU Soccer won a national title last season. FSU baseball and softball are among the top 15 teams nationally.
FSU basketball finished the season strong and has a ton of momentum with Luke Loucks acquiring quality players.
FSU Golf is among the top teams nationally and just signed Charlie Woods, the son of Tiger Woods. FSU Track and Field won the ACC and had a National Champion. FSU Beach Volleyball is always among the top programs nationally. There’s a lot of good, but it doesn’t mean much when the football team isn’t delivering what it’s supposed to.
However, it was clear that FSU had to leave the ACC when the undefeated football team got snubbed from the College Football Playoff. It’s one major reason FSU sued the conference in December 2023. FSU settled the lawsuit, but it was a massive win because they got nearly everything they wanted. They got the chance to earn more money until they were ready to leave, and they got a clear number on what it would cost to leave when the time is right.
That time has always been around 2028, when the B1G and SEC conferences start preparing for their next TV contract. The B1G would benefit the most from adding Florida State. It would give them entry into Florida, a place where they don’t have a team. The SEC doesn’t want the B1G conference in Florida and could add Florida State to prevent them from going to the B1G.
Either way, FSU will likely leave the ACC so they get the money needed to compete with the other teams in those major conferences. Florida State Athletic Director Michael Alford put his cards on the table with the quote below:
FSU AD Michael Alford: “The next 24 months are very important because we think there could be potentially more movement w/in the industry. So we need to make sure daily that we’re preparing ourselves for that.” https://t.co/4RWSKxGdmv
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) April 20, 2026
A lot of media clowns laughed at Florida State when they sued the ACC, but it looks like FSU was much smarter than given credit.
Florida State has been working diligently to improve its portfolio and attractiveness beyond its athletic programming. The acquisition of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare was a major move recently. Florida State is getting closer and closer to gaining AAU membership, and continues to be among the top public universities nationally.
All of these things have happened in the past two years, as Florida State looks to make moves to stay among the top in every facet. That quote from Michael Alford tells me he knows they will leave the ACC, it's just a matter of when. Florida State would need to announce they plan to join its new home so they can become a part of the package presented to TV networks to increase the overall value of the new TV deal. That's why Alford feels something will happen in the next two years, and he's likely right. It doesn't matter where FSU ends up, as long as they leave the ACC and wind up in the B1G or SEC.
Add us as a preferred source on Google