It appears as if missing out on the College Football Playoff was the last straw for Florida State in staying with the Atlantic Coast Conference. After rumors swirled in the Summer that the Seminoles were part of a handful of teams looking to leave the conference, the university has scheduled a Board of Trustees meeting on Friday to begin the process of pursuing an exit from the ACC.
And it’s a move that could have a big impact on North Carolina.
Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported that Friday’s meeting will not only begin the process of FSU leaving the ACC but also the effect it will have on other programs. And he mentions North Carolina in that.
“This will have an ‘Oppenheimer-like’ ripple effect (throughout the college landscape),” an industry source said.
If Florida State can find an escape hatch out of the ACC’s Grant of Rights, it could trigger the exits of Clemson, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech, sources said.
The Seminoles’ decision drastically impacts the college football landscape by accelerating even more realignment, this time among the sport’s two behemoths: the Big Ten and SEC.
The earliest the Seminoles could leave the ACC is June of 2025 and if it happens, other schools will likely follow suit.
North Carolina has been named a top brand for conferences to pursue in terms of expansion so it would make sense for them to draw interest from others. Whether we like it or not and the tradition of UNC in the ACC has a long history, UNC will be pursued by the Big Ten or SEC as it makes a lot of sense for those conferences to pursue them with basketball and football.
Although UNC is not the main story for Friday, it’s something to keep an eye on with FSU’s situation.
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