Florida State has scheduled an emergency meeting with its board of trustees for Friday morning as it reportedly mulls its ACC exit options, according to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic.
This is not the first time that Florida State has voiced its displeasure with the ACC, as the school has previously expressed concerns about the growing revenue gap between the conference and its counterparts, the Big 12, SEC and Big Ten. The ACC and ESPN signed a 20-year television rights deal in 2016. Since then, television money in college football has exploded, and the Big 12, SEC and Big Ten have all capitalized on the boom after their previous TV deals expired.
The ACC’s grant of rights, a legally binding document that controls the publicity rights of conference member schools, runs through the length of the TV deal, which expires in 2036. This means that as ACC schools will continue receiving minimal revenue from ESPN in comparison to its conference counterparts with ESPN and other networks.
John Raoux/AP
In order to try to evade the grant of rights and exit the conference, Florida State would likely have to take legal action against the conference, such as suing the league to challenge the document, per Auerbach. Representatives at Florida State have discussed this possibility in the past, but have yet to take action after spending over a year examining the grant of rights.
Per Auerbach’s report, Florida State would likely need board approval before filing a complaint against the ACC. The board of trustees would be a key part in the decision making process.
Renewed calls internally for Florida State’s exit from the ACC comes less than a month after the Seminoles were shut out of the College Football Playoff despite a 13–0 season and an ACC title. The CFP committee pointed to star quarterback Jordan Travis’s season-ending injury as a key reason why Florida State was not viewed as one of “the best four teams” in college football.
No. 5 Florida State plays No. 6 Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.
