College football expansion: Paul Finebaum reacts to ACC team rumors, potential SEC moves
Rumors around college football conference realignment and expansion are flying around once again this offseason after it was revealed that seven ACC teams are reportedly looking into possibly getting out of their contract, and speculation around where those teams would land in the event of a move.
Paul Finebaum, a long-time voice around SEC football, doesn't sound like he's interested in the two big ACC brands mentioned in those rumors, Clemson and Florida State, making the move to the Southeastern Conference.
"Clemson to me, quite frankly doesn't bring that much," Finebaum said during an appearance on WJOX in Birmingham.
"I know it brings a national championship program from a couple of years ago. Clemson won twice, but from a geographical standpoint, I don't think they had anything. I think South Carolina already covers the area in that part of the world very well."
Finebaum added, "I think Florida State is similar. I don't think they're nearly as attractive as they think they are. Besides, Florida already covers that part of the world. And so I think Miami to me, it would be next. I think it's an important part of the country. It's a very populated part of the country, too."
Those three schools are hoping to use the ACC spring meetings to push the conference to pay more of its media revenue towards their brands and less in the pockets of the league's perceived smaller names.
If the SEC did want to get into the race to bring over any potential ACC departures, it would have to contend with the Big Ten, which is expected to be at the front of the line trying to recruit teams from the state of Florida in the event of more expansion.
But at this point, all of this remains speculation. ACC teams are locked into a grant of rights agreement that runs through 2036 and any teams that would want to get out before then will have to pay an exit fee of $120 million.
Hence those schools' interest in seeing if they can get out of that deal another way.
The next phase of college football expansion is still unknown, but with interest coming from the Big 12 towards the Pac-12, and vice versa, it's clear that the dust hasn't settled just yet.
(WJOX)
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