Paul Finebaum believes Florida State wants 'badly' out of the ACC
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Conference realignment talk has dominated the media since it was announced that USC and UCLA would be joining the Big Ten as of 2025 back in late June. It's becoming more evident by the day that the college teams that truly want to be at the pinnacle of the sport in this age need to find a way to get into the Big Ten or SEC. The two conferences are going to be able to provide media deals worth over $100 million annually to each institution under their respective wing in the near future.
READ MORE: Florida State exploring leaving ACC for new conference
That number is simply not something that the other conferences throughout the country can compete with. While speaking on the Mac Attack Hour earlier this week, ESPN's Paul Finebaum expressed that Clemson and Florida State are making it clear that they want to leave the ACC. The dominoes will fall when one program makes a decision.
“The ACC has no chance of competing with the Big Ten or SEC without Notre Dame,” Finebaum said. "I think Clemson wants out of the ACC badly and so does Florida State ... this is all predicated on Notre Dame, by the way. I think things are going to happen. There's way too much activity going on. I think the chips are going to fall all over the place here."
Finebaum believes that everyone is waiting on Notre Dame to announce its future before the next round of conference realignment will begin. The Fighting Irish have four potential choices; join the Big Ten, SEC, or ACC or remain independent. You can almost certainly cross joining the Atlantic Coast Conference as a full-time football member off of the table.
“If Notre Dame makes a move, it is going to tip this ant hill over. And right now, Notre Dame is trying to figure it out. They’re in Vegas with pots of money on three or four different tables. The pot of money to stay an independent is obvious — it’s not great, by the way," Finebaum said. "They can make a lot of money with NBC and have their ridiculous and cozy relationship with the ACC. They can join the ACC, or they have two other choices. And this is when you go into the private rooms at the Bellagio, and not out there with scum like us. This is the SEC or the Big Ten — should they choose either one of them, they’re hitting the lottery."
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime, it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity," Finebaum continued. "It’s my opinion the Big Ten and the SEC wants Notre Dame badly. When Notre Dame makes a decision, everything else happens.”
Report: Florida State among multiple teams expected to join SEC
Notre Dame or any other program that tries to leave the ACC for another conference prior to 2036 is subject to an exit fee as well as the Grant of Rights agreement. The exit fee is estimated to be worth around $100 million while the GoRs could be worth triple that amount. However, there are potential legal ways to circumvent the Grant of Rights that would allow schools to get out of it without having to dole out a ton of cash.
Last week, NoleGameday learned that Florida State has had conversations with the Big Ten and ACC over the last year. The Seminoles are interested in joining one of the newly forming megaconferences that can provide a yearly revenue amount that is nearly triple what the ACC pays out annually. It's the only feasible path the administration can take to continue pushing this program back to the top.
Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the summer.
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