Florida State appears to be heading out of the ACC. If Florida State leaves the conference, it could well set off another round of conference expansion and re-alignment for the Big Ten, the Big 12 and the SEC.
And it could well mean the implosion of the ACC…at least as we know it. Florida State’s lawsuit is another seismic shift in the college sports landscape.
The ACC, which has a terrible media deal, isn’t on life support at this point. But there is no denying that the conference is struggling to keep up as a Power Five conference. The media deal is limiting the ACC’s ability to keep up and compete in the college sports arms race, especially with regard to facilities needed in football and basketball.
Staff hiring and retention is also an issue.
Now, is the Big Ten, or any conference for that matter, ready to expand? Who knows. But conferences have to be proactive and expand with the idea of the next media rights deals.
So the Big Ten or the SEC or even the Big 12 might need to act sooner rather than later if Florida State does bolt!
Scroll down and check out how the ACC’s top programs rank for Big Ten conference expansion! (Spoiler alert: Notre Dame is not on this list)