FSU football: FSU obliterates ACC, plans to file lawsuit to challenge withdrawal penalties

FSU football has been the most dominant program since joining the ACC in the early 90s. Football drives the money in college sports, and moves made by the ACC and ESPN over the past 20 years have placed FSU in a position to fight for survival among the top-tier programs in college football. Under current conditions, FSU football would not be competitive with teams in the SEC or B1G conference because of widening gaps in revenue due to deals the ACC agreed to with ESPN. With this knowledge and careful analysis of the documentation they were privy to, FSU has chosen to file a lawsuit to begin the process of leaving the ACC. The FSU Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting Friday morning that can be viewed here.

Quick Thoughts

By filing this lawsuit, FSU will force the ACC to release documents FSU hasn't had access to. I don't know about you, but I'd have raised eyebrows if someone I was doing business with wouldn't allow me to make copies of the contracts that were part of our agreement. I don't think this will ever get to court, and I expect the two parties to likely negotiate to come to an agreement that will allow FSU to exit the conference. I would expect other schools like Clemson and North Carolina to follow suit since they were the other two schools that voted against the ACC's recent expansion to include schools like Stanford, California, and SMU.

That expansion was in anticipation of schools like FSU trying to leave the conference. The ACC is content with surviving as a conference and not competing with the SEC or B1G, and that's been FSU's issue for years, considering they are the biggest brand in the conference by far. The TV viewership from this past season proves that, but FSU also led the conference in TV viewership from 2014-2022. Some folks will whine and complain, but it comes down to everyone wanting compensation relative to their value. Whether you're an FSU fan or not, anyone with business sense can understand that. I expect FSU to negotiate a way out of the ACC sooner than later. This lawsuit was the first step in determining what the ultimate price is to leave.