What Happens if ACC Football Wants to Do Its Own Thing?
Okay, this is wild. Imagine, just maybe, a bunch of ACC schools wanting to make their own super league. Crazy, right? But guess what? There’s actually something about this in this agreement that wrapped up the long legal drama between the ACC, Florida State, and Clemson. Yeah, it was a 17-month standoff.
I got my hands on this 68-page behemoth because, you know, journalists can’t help themselves. It’s like a treasure map for how these schools are gonna split cash and their plans to jump ship if they ever want to.
How Much to Leave the ACC?
So, here’s the deal. Before this settlement, no one really knew how much it’d cost to ditch the ACC. Florida State thought—brace yourself—over $500 million. Insane, right? But now, if they wanna bail in the 2025-26 time, they’re looking at $165 million. Oh, and it goes down by $18 million each year. From 2030-31 till the contract ends in 2036, it’s $75 million flat. Anyway, everyone signed off on this in May, so it’s kinda sealed.
Oh, the juicy bit? Schools keep their TV rights when they bounce. Otherwise, places like the SEC or Big Ten might give Clemson or Florida State the cold shoulder.
Now, time for some crystal ball stuff. All eyes on 2030-ish because that’s when TV contracts for the Big Ten, SEC, and CFP go poof. The ACC knows this and is getting its house in order before the ESPN contract runs out in 2036.
Also, they mixed up the exit timetable. Schools now gotta say they’re leaving by June 1, giving them a 13-month goodbye. Used to be August 15. No idea why I care about dates, but it stuck.
Splitting the Dough
This part’s fascinating if you’re into numbers. They’re changing how money from media deals gets split. First 40% is divided evenly—kinda like splitting a pizza among friends. Then, for the rest, three-quarters go to schools based on football TV numbers and one-quarter for basketball. Keeps everyone on their toes.
Clemson’s over here calculating they’ll rake in an extra $120 million over six years. That’s their ticket to hanging with the big dogs in the SEC or Big Ten. The ACC’s hoping the others won’t feel left out compared to their Big 12 peers. I guess we’ll see.
And Notre Dame? Yeah, they’re in the ACC but their football’s independent, so they get nothing from the football viewership pie. Unless they decide to put a ring on it and join fully. Oh, and no tweaking the financials without Clemson and Florida State nodding along.
This Super League Thing
What’s this "option of limited withdrawal"? The gossip part everyone loves. Picture at least six schools wanting to bail out for, let’s say, a super football league. They’d owe $75 million or half the withdrawal fee, whichever’s higher. So, Florida State, Clemson, Miami, maybe others could chase super league dreams in football while sticking with the ACC for everything else.
Totally dreaming? Maybe. But this agreement gives them the ‘how-to’ if they’re feeling ambitious.
So, there you go. Chaos, dreams, and dollar signs. Who knew college sports could be this dramatic?
