By: Robert Craft

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Before FSU and Clemson can make a single business decision, they have to resolve their lawsuits with the ACC. That could take months if they settle, and years if they have their day in court.

“What’s going to happen?” That’s the $130 million dollar question these days in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

An important date is looming for the entire ACC: February 2025. The day ESPN has a “look-in” and will decide whether they continue the ACC’s contract until 2036.

If relationships were stable (and I mean completely), it would be a no-brainer for Disney to keep things as is. ESPN enjoys the locked-in price, especially with the revenue it makes from the ACC Network.

Considering their current relationship, if the network opts out … chaos in the streets. Today’s dynamic between media companies and NCAA could change in an instant if the ACC implodes.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey stated at Media Day this week, “Our focus is on our 16 members.”

Big Ten’s Tony Petitti will likely side with Sankey next week, but for different reasons. Big Ten’s focus is not on realignment. There’s no realistic alternative at their level. The Big Ten Conference will likely do whatever Fox tells it to do, and this may well covet a powerhouse program that gets it into a hugely populous state.

That seems a more viable option than the SEC, which already has schools in Florida and South Carolina and whose partner, ESPN, has no incentive to pay more money to show Florida State and Clemson than it does now.

So where do they go? The Big 12 presents an interesting, less plausible alternative. On the one hand, The Big 12 Conference makes no more revenue than the ACC does now, so, what’s the point, right?

If Brett Yormark gets his wish and his presidents sign off on a private equity deal. Florida State and Clemson could get paid a lot more than they make now, and that’s before negotiating a new TV deal.

If the Big 12 follows through, all schools could possibly make Big Ten/SEC money without having to play a Big Ten/SEC schedule.

Why haven’t they done it already? Moving to the Big 12 is challenging. For Florida State and Clemson to be interested in making that move, they likely would demand to be paid closer to what the schools in the biggest two conferences are making each year.

They also would likely ask for financial help to pay their exit fees, penalties, and whatever else they could think of. FSU and Clemson are expensive programs.

While landing the Seminoles and Tigers would definitely be a game-changer for the Big 12 as a conference. At the university-level, teams and offices might balk at receiving significantly lower distributions each year, and we’re back to the unrest we’re at today.

Personally, I find it hard to imagine those schools wanting to join a less-glamorous conference. Perhaps an invite serves as leverage to gain better terms from the ACC.