ACC Exploring Adding Two New Teams to Conference
The ACC is on edge during the current wave of conference realignment, as Florida State is exploring all its options. Also happening in the conference realignment world is the potential end of the Pac-12.
ESPN's Pete Thamel joined the Pat McAfee Show and stated that "there has been some Stanford to the ACC smoke that has emerged."
"All four teams in the Pac-12 are still together, but they are exploring other options," Thamel added on the show.
Florida State making their departure from the ACC would cause a domino effect that would likely see North Carolina and Clemson following suit. If the Seminoles are able to find a legal way to exit the conference while paying the $120 million exit fee, the ACC would be on thin ice.
READ MORE: Florida State Cracks Top-10 in USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll
Thamel also reported that potential additions of Stanford and Cal could be on the horizon. There are two calls for the ACC to vet, including one for current athletic directors in the ACC and another for the league's presidents and chancellors.
"Could they and maybe California end up in some sort of hybrid ACC, or some sort of ACC West Coast wing? I don't know," Thamel continued.
This comes at a unique time, however, as the Seminoles seem ready to move on. In a recent Board of Trustees meeting, Florida State President Richard McCullough made a powerful statement to the conference.
"We of course are not satisfied with our current situation. We love the ACC, we love our partners at ESPN. Our goal would be to stay in the ACC but staying in the ACC with the current situation is hard for us to figure out how we remain competitive unless there were a major change in the revenue distribution within the ACC conference itself," McCullough said in the meeting."That has not happened, those discussions are ongoing, and continue to explore that situation... We've explored every possible option that you could possibly imagine and we continue to explore all of those options."
The Big Ten is a real option for the Seminoles. The jump in television money with the Big Ten, or even SEC, makes sense for Florida State as the program strives to continue climbing to the top of the College Football world.
The ACC adding two programs from a conference that's falling apart could be a play to retain its top programs to extend the league's life.
Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the offseason.
