In a bold move further shaking the foundation of college football’s landscape, both Clemson and Florida State have initiated legal proceedings against the ACC in a bid to extricate themselves from the conference.
The seismic development could potentially reshape college football’s power dynamics even further.
In many ways, the depature of both power programs seems absolutely inevitable.
Appeaing on The Paul Finebaum Show, college football insider Ross Dellenger weighed in on the unfolding saga, offering insights into the motives and implications behind the contentious move.
“Two of his most valuable football programs are trying to leave,” Dellenger said. “I think it’s pretty clear Clemson and Florida State are not going to be in the ACC for the permanent future, whether that’s two years, three years or four years, they’re going to get out of the league.”
Dellenger, while refraining from speculating on the financial ramifications or the destination of the two football powerhouses, emphasized the inevitability of their departure from the ACC.
“I don’t know where they’re going to go. I don’t know what their future is,” he said. “But it’s clearly not going to be in the ACC. And it’ll be interesting to see what happens there. But (Jim Phillips) is dealing with a lot.”
The legal maneuver by Clemson and Florida State adds a new layer of complexity to an already turbulent landscape in college athletics.
Jim Phillips, who assumed the role of ACC Commissioner in 2021, finds himself navigating treacherous waters as the conference grapples with financial constraints and stiff competition from rival conferences.
Locked into the Grant of Rights until 2036, the ACC faces a daunting challenge in renegotiating television deals, particularly as conferences like the SEC and Big Ten reel in staggering sums of revenue.
Despite recent efforts to bolster its ranks with the addition of Cal, Stanford, and SMU, the ACC confronts an uncertain future in an increasingly cutthroat environment.
Reflecting on the broader trends shaping the collegiate sports landscape, Dellenger highlighted the precarious position of mid-tier conferences.
“That’s why they went out and got Cal, Stanford and SMU, to make sure they kept intact enough teams in the league to avoid what happened in the Pac-12,” Dellenger said.
“I had a college athletics administrator give me a great quote. He said, ‘Five power conferences could not survive. Four cannot either.’ And I think we’re heading towards a three power conference structure — Big Ten, SEC and whatever else there on the third one.”
While the thought of Clemson and Florida State eventually departing the ACC won’t come as a surprise to anyone, it still serves as a reminder of the wild and unstable times in college athletics.
Other notable programs such as Miami and North Carolina figure to not be too far behind once the dominoes truly start falling.
While the SEC makes most sense geographically, you can’t discount the Big Ten when it comes to figuring out where the ACC’s most prominent programs might head to.
After all, georgraphy has become virtually irreleveant when it comes to the musical chairs game of conference realignment.
At the end of the day, what do you think ends up happening?
Where will Clemson and Florida State wind up?
Which of the two programs do you view as more valuable?
When the dust finally settles, will the ACC even be able to survive???