Andy Staples Weighs In on the Possibility of More College Football Realignment

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips during the Miami Hurricanes game against the Mississippi Rebels. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

College football realignment may not be finished, but one prominent national analyst believes the sport is not quite as close to complete conference collapse as many fear.

Over the last several years, college football has experienced one of the most dramatic structural shifts in sports history. Programs like the Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma Sooners, USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks changed conferences in moves that completely reshaped the national landscape.

That wave of movement effectively destroyed the Pac-12 Conference as a power conference and intensified fears that the Atlantic Coast Conference could eventually suffer the same fate.

Those fears were amplified when schools like the Florida State Seminoles and Clemson Tigers publicly expressed frustration with the conference’s revenue distribution model. At one point, it felt inevitable that the ACC would eventually splinter apart.

Florida State Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos (1) runs near Clemson Tigers linebacker Wade Woodaz (17). | Ken Ruinard - GREENVILLE NEWS-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

However, On3 analyst Andy Staples revealed on "The Paul Finebaum Show" that he believes the conference is now in a far more stable position than many realize.

"I feel like the ACC is in a little healthier place than it's been," Staples said. "Even though there is sort of a sword hanging over their heads. Obviously, everyone is worrying about a formation of a super league... they have a way now where if you're good at football, you're going to make more money than everybody else."

That point matters because the ACC recently adjusted parts of its revenue-sharing structure to reward programs that generate more television value and postseason success. In other words, schools that invest heavily in football now have a clearer path to earning significantly more money.

That could slow down future departures. Still, the larger concern surrounding college football has not disappeared.

The push toward a potential 24-team College Football Playoff continues to fuel speculation that the sport is eventually heading toward some form of super conference model.

If the playoff expands that dramatically, conferences could begin losing much of their traditional importance.

Conference championship games would likely disappear. Rivalries could become secondary to television inventory. And the sport could move closer to an NFL-style structure centered almost entirely around postseason access. That is where college football faces a difficult balancing act.

The sport wants to preserve its traditions while simultaneously chasing larger television contracts and playoff revenue. Right now, those two goals are increasingly colliding.

There is also a growing frustration with the lack of centralized leadership. Each conference operates under slightly different priorities and philosophies, creating constant confusion surrounding scheduling, revenue sharing and playoff structure.

At some point, college football may have to decide what it wants to become. Because the closer the sport moves toward a 24-team playoff and super conferences, the further it drifts from the regional identity that made it unique in the first place.