Report: Florida State among multiple teams expected to join SEC
College football is in the midst of a change and program's can either hop on board or get off the tracks. Last week, it was announced that the Big Ten would add USC and UCLA in 2024. The news means the expanding Big Ten and SEC are set up to earn media right's deals that will pale in comparison to the remainder of the country.
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Florida State is stuck in a Grant of Rights deal with the ACC until 2036 that'll bring in roughly 50% annually of the sport's two new superconferences. However, there is optimism that the Seminoles will be able to get out of the deal in the event that the SEC or Big Ten is interested in adding them.
Last week, Action Network's Brett McMurphy reported that the SEC would likely target multiple ACC programs as additions, including Florida State. That sentiment was shared by former Georgia head coach Jim Donnan on the latest episode of UGASports Live. Donnan believes the SEC and Big Ten are closing in on having as many as 20 programs per conference.
“What we're going towards, and, the only thing I'll tell you about this show, when I tell you a sure thing, I back it," Donnan said. "Sure thing, there are going to be two, at least 20-team conferences between the Big Ten and the SEC."
The retired coach and analyst identified four teams he expects to join the SEC in the near future; Florida State, Miami, Clemson, and North Carolina. The conference already has 16 members with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas. Bringing in the four aforementioned ACC programs would get the SEC to a record 20 members.
“Miami, Florida State, Clemson, and North Carolina are going to be in the SEC pretty quick," Donnan said. "North Carolina's basketball helps them a lot along those lines but those four teams are going to be coming in here to go along with maybe a couple more from the west coast.”
The conference realignment battle between the SEC and Big Ten is leading up to an expansion of the College Football Playoff format according to Donnan. Currently, four teams compete for the championship but there has been some support behind increasing the field of teams to eight or twelve.
"What we're going to see is eight or twelve team playoff. When that bid comes up in 2025 for the playoffs, it's going to be monumental," Donnan said. "Right now, ESPN's got that but all of the sudden you've got eight or twelve teams vying for that, who knows what's going to happen."
Donnan thinks there is a real possibility that the SEC will try to find a loophole to add Oklahoma and Texas in 2023 rather than waiting until 2025. It would allow the conference to leapfrog the Big Ten's additions while advancing towards a record media deal.
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Neither conference is done expanding in Donnan's opinion. While sharing his thoughts, he mentioned programs such as Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Washington as feasible options for the Big Ten.
Watch the full video for the entirety of Donnan's comments below.
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