College football will look very different this season after historic conference realignments permanently altered the national map for every major league, but as Clemson and Florida State continue their legal battles with the ACC, they may represent the next big move in the future.
And if that were to happen, the Big 12 would want to be in the discussion.
That's according to an analysis by Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, who speculated that one option for those schools would be to partner with the Big 12 Conference, whose commissioner, Brett Yormark, is known for saying he's “open for business.”
“I think there are at least preliminary discussions going on between the Big 12 and these schools about the possibility of that happening,” Dellenger told Jon Kurtz. “Whether it's a settlement or a court decision, they'd have to opt out of the ACC, so I don't know if it's serious yet.”
“So it may be months, if not years, before anything happens. The Big 12 seems like a possibility,” he added.
Last offseason, it was revealed that Clemson and Florida State were two of the so-called “Magnificent Seven” schools exploring the possibility of opting out of the ACC's rights agreement, which expires in 2036. North Carolina was the third.
To leave the conference before that date, the university would have to pay a nine-figure withdrawal fee, which Florida State University estimates could exceed $500 million after taking into account all other fees.
But at least Clemson and Florida State appear to want to move before that date to take full advantage of new markets that have emerged since last offseason's landmark expansion phase.
If both schools were to relocate, the most likely destinations for either school would be the SEC or Big Ten — the SEC given their geographic location, and the Big Ten given the league's recent national expansion.
Some are skeptical of the SEC adding schools to states that already have member schools (the Gators in Florida and the Gamecocks in South Carolina, respectively), but those schools already have rivalries with Florida State and Clemson.
But other analysts support a merger with the SEC for that very reason, while others remain focused on the Big Ten's desire to further expand its geographic reach, reach into Florida's media market and gain better access to the state's deep recruiting base.
At this point, it's all speculation, and that timeline isn't likely to move anytime soon as the lawsuits the schools filed against the ACC play out in court.
And until some sort of settlement is ultimately worked out, Clemson and Florida State will remain in the ACC on paper until 2036.
(Derenger)
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