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Is FSU leaving the ACC for Big Ten after being left out of playoffs? Here's what we know
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- Is FSU leaving the ACC for Big Ten after being left out of playoffs? Here's what we know
It's been a rough couples of weeks for Florida State football fans.
The undefeated ACC champion Seminoles were left out of the College Football Playoff , and a lot of people (from political leaders to former coaches ) are understandably very mad about it .
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Is it the straw that broke the camel's back for FSU's time in the Atlantic Coast Conference ? An emergency board of trustees meeting was called for Friday, when the board approved a lawsuit against the ACC over its grant of rights deal .
FSU doesn't have the best history with its conference. Fights over TV rights deals and the ever-expanding influence of the Big Ten and SEC have led to years of speculation about Florida State bolting for greener pastures.
A new round of rumors sprouted after the CFP committee opted to let a pair of one-loss teams play for a national championship while the 13-0 Seminoles are left to play for a consolation prize in the Orange Bowl . This one claimed FSU could decide within the next month whether to leave for the Big Ten.
Is there anything to the rumors? Here's what we know.
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Why would Florida State leave the ACC?
For years, Florida State leaders have been vocal in their displeasure over the conference's revenue sharing plan. Most complaints circle around the ACC's TV contract with ESPN, which extends through 2036 even as the network makes substantial cuts . The Big Ten signed a seven-year, $8 billion deal to air games between Fox, CBS and NBC that went into effect this season. Next year, the SEC starts a 10-year, $3 billion deal to move from CBS to ESPN .
Those deals include huge payouts for the schools. Florida coach Billy Napier said projections show each SEC school would get millions more from the new deal, rising from $55 million to potentially more than $70 million . Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said Big Ten schools will receive about $80 million each year from its TV contract, whereas FSU currently receives $42 million .
The final straw might have been the FSU football team going undefeated and winning the ACC championship but still being left out of the College Football Playoff.
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Was Florida State snubbed?
There's certainly an argument. FSU looked like one of the best teams in college football all season with a dynamic offense (451.6 yards and 40.1 points per game) and a lockdown defense (323 yards and 16.9 points allowed per game) through 11 games. That's when quarterback Jordan Travis , who finished fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy, broke his leg against North Alabama , fundamentally changing FSU's offense.
With Tate Rodemaker under center the next week at Florida and third-string QB Brock Glenn in the ACC championship against Louisville , FSU put up 443 total yards and scored 40 combined points in the last two games before bowl season. But the defense, led by pass rushers Jared Verse and Patrick Payton , stepped up to the challenge, holding opponents to 420 yards and 21 total points. The Seminoles won both games to finish with a 13-0 record and a Power 5 conference championship, something that had guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff the previous 10 years.
But despite being ranked No. 4 heading into the final weekend, the CFP committee decided the struggling offense wasn't good enough to make the four-team playoff. Undefeated Michigan and Washington would face one-loss Alabama and Texas , respectively, leaving Florida State to play two-time defending champion Georgia in the Orange Bowl on December 30.
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What are the rumors that Florida State is leaving for the Big Ten?
After missing out on the College Football Playoff, talk circulated that because the ACC wasn't a strong enough conference, Florida State would immediately start looking for ways to exit and enter either the Big Ten or SEC. Similar rumors grew out of the summer's latest round of conference expansion , when Colorado , Arizona , Arizona State and Utah announced they would leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12; Stanford, California and SMU announced they were leaving for the ACC; and Washington and Oregon said they were joining Southern California and UCLA in joining the Big Ten.
On December 6, Twitter user @MHver3 posted a rumor that FSU would decide at a meeting on January 31 whether to swap conferences, with the Big Ten being more likely.
"In ACC news I'm being told that there will be a significant meeting on Jan 31st at FSU that could decide their future conference affiliation," the post reads. "SEC has shown no interest in adding them or Clemson but B10 has-depending on what the networks would pay."
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On December 8, Twitter account Blue Blood Bias reaffirmed the post and broke down the decisions between the Big Ten and SEC.
"The SEC is very unlikely," the post reads. "The conference is aligned with ESPN, the network at the forefront of the CFP Collusion Scandal. It's been reported that the SEC is more interested in UVA & UNC from the ACC...
"That leaves the Big 10. FSU would earn a $40M/year raise in the B1G compared to their current situation in the ACC. Plus there's mutual interest on both sides. It's a no brainer."
Now multiple reports say Florida State is going to begin the process of leaving the ACC.
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Is the Florida State Board of Trustees meeting to leave the ACC?
The Board of Trustees is meeting 10 a.m. Friday, December 22. There is no itinerary listed.
The Board of Trustees website says the meeting agenda will be posted when available, as will a link to a live webcast of the meeting.
What is FSU saying about leaving the ACC?
Nothing publicly, but a former Florida State official said missing the playoff makes it clear the Seminoles need to leave.
John Thrasher, who served as Florida State president from 2014 to 2021, said FSU needs to leave the ACC as the SEC and Big Ten continue to expand.
"It gives me hope the leadership at FSU will look at other places to be. I think it shows we are a secondary-level conference," Thrasher said.
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He also pointed to the power held by ESPN, which holds broadcasting rights for the playoff, and the SEC, which enters a 10-year rights deal with ESPN starting in 2024.
"I believe the committee caved into pressure from a couple different levels – with ESPN and the SEC the two levels they caved to," Thrasher said. "I've been in those management meetings. …. The SEC has incredible power."
What is FSU saying about being left out of the College Football Playoff?
In short: plenty.
Athletic Director Michael Alford unloaded on the committee in a statement: "The consequences of giving in to a narrative of the moment are destructive, far-reaching, and permanent. Not just for Florida State, but college football as a whole."
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FSU quarterback Jordan Travis was devastated on the platform formerly known as Twitter : "devastated. heartbroken. In so much disbelief [right now], I wish my leg broke earlier in the season so y'all could see this team is much more than the quarterback. I thought results matter. 13-0 and this roster matches up across any team in those top 4 rankings. I am so sorry. Go Noles!"
FSU football coach Mike Norvell said he was "disgusted and infuriated" with the decision: "What is the point of playing games? Do you tell players it is okay to quit if someone goes down? Do you not play a senior on Senior Day for fear of injury?"
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott even weighed in, with DeSantis going as far as saying he'd set aside $1 million if the school wanted to sue over the snub.
Who is joining the Big Ten in 2024?
In 2022, Southern California and UCLA announced they would leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in 2024. Then in August, Washington and Oregon announced they would join them.
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The Big Ten is set to have 18 teams stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific at the start of the 2024 college football season.
Who is joining the SEC in 2024?
Texas and Oklahoma are leaving the Big 12 for the SEC starting in 2024, putting the conference at 18 teams.
Who is joining the ACC in 2024?
If it stays in the conference, Florida State will be joined by former Pac-12 rivals Stanford and California, as well as former American Athletic Conference team SMU. The ACC will have 17 members in football (Notre Dame plays in the ACC in other sports).
When did Florida State join the ACC?
Florida State was an independent team until 1990, when it agreed to become the ninth school to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. Under coach Bobby Bowden, the FSU football team instantly became the class of the ACC, which until then had been known as strictly a basketball conference.
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In 1992, their first season as an official member, the Seminoles went 11-1 and finished No. 2 in the AP poll. The following season, they went 12-1 and won the national championship. Florida State won its first 29 conference games, finally falling at Virginia on Nov. 2, 1995.
Tallahassee Democrat sports editor Jim Henry contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: FSU leaving ACC? Big 10 rumors grow with CFP snub. Here's what we know
