Jon Joseph No. 1 Share Posted March 19 Clemson has joined fellow traveler FSU in bringing suit against the ACC. The two biggest and most watched brands in the ACC want a much bigger piece of the revenue pie or they want out. I do not see the 15 other ACC member teams giving Clemson and FSU close to the cash the Tigers and Seminoles would bring in from being a Power 2 member. FSU is 'this close' to earning AAU member status, and Fox and friends would love to have a team in the football-mad southeast. The SEC has USC(e) but Clemson is a much bigger brand and would fit nicely with UNC, NC State, and UVA should the ACC go away or morph into G5 territory. Clemson suing ACC, joining Florida State as second program to sue conference WWW.SATURDAYDOWNSOUTH.COM Clemson is suing the ACC over its grant of rights and exit fee to leave the conference. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JabbaNoBargain No. 2 Share Posted March 19 (edited) I would have guessed the new deal might have slowed the breakup down, but it seems to be doing the opposite. Seems like it’s getting closer to time for a new division if the ACC goes. ACC is not entitled to the same percentage if they lose their top 5 brands but still stick around like the PIG2. I’m guessing ESPN was smart enough to account for the ACC losing P4 status. Problem with a new division (50-60 schools) is it would require booting some schools from the existing B12, B1G and SEC…and I don’t see that happening soon. What are the exit strategies for these top ACC schools? Is the SEC making room for FSU, Miami and Clemson? UNC, Duke and Virginia to the B1G? If that happens, there is essentially an upper division but it still would include the likes of Vanderbilt. Fascinating mess, glad we’re where we are! Edited March 19 by JabbaNoBargain 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 3 Share Posted March 19 This litigation could accelerate Notre Dame's having to join a conference. https://athlonsports.com/college-football/paul-finebaum-forecasts-notre-dame-will-join-a-conference-shortly Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 4 Share Posted March 19 On 3/19/2024 at 1:53 PM, JabbaNoBargain said: I would have guessed the new deal might have slowed the breakup down, but it seems to be doing the opposite. I would think it’s getting closer to time for a new division if the ACC goes. ACC is not entitled to the same percentage if they lose their top 5 brands but still stick around like the PIG2. I’m guessing ESPN was smart enough to account for the ACC losing P4 status. Problem with a new division (50-60 schools) is it would require booting some schools from the existing B12, B1G and SEC…and I don’t see that happening soon. What are the exit strategies for these top ACC schools? Is the SEC making room for FSU, Miami and Clemson? UNC, Duke and Virginia to the B1G? If that happens, there is essentially an upper division but it still would include the likes of Vanderbilt. Fascinating mess, glad we’re where we are! Great take. Further complicating the matter is ESPN's ownership and operation of the ACC Network. The formation of the Network was a bargaining chip used by ESPN to have the ACC agree to a media deal through 2036. Interesting argument Clemson makes: You want us to pay $140M in liquidated damages and you still retain our media rights? No matter where you come down on the matter, I think a South Carolina state court judge will find merit in Clemson's argument notwithstanding the 'plain language' of the grant of media rights. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 5 Share Posted March 19 From Bleacher Report. Clemson Sues ACC over Grant of Rights, Withdrawal Fee Following FSU's Lawsuit BLEACHERREPORT.COM Clemson has become the second ACC program, after Florida State, to file a lawsuit against the conference. According to the court filing, the school is suing… Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solar No. 6 Share Posted March 19 (edited) The cleanest answer in all this is FSU & Clemson pay the exit fee and cancel existing media rights, then ESPN uses that as grounds to renegotiate the contract with the ACC. The exit fees mask the pain in the short term from the renegotiated contract for those in the ACC that chose to stay. If the rats start to scatter during contract renegotiation it may very well be a pac 2 redo as Fox and ESPN feed on the carcass with scraps going to G5 B12 will be the last one to go. Then the tough work starts of making a new division where the questionable value teams of the legacy B1G and SEC get the boot. Edited March 19 by Solar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomallister1291 No. 7 Share Posted March 20 I really hope that they can get Miami in the Big Ten, I don't know, just wanna see the interactions between The Duck and Sebastian on the sidelines. And don't forget about Mario Cristobal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 8 Share Posted March 20 On 3/19/2024 at 7:15 PM, Solar said: The cleanest answer in all this is FSU & Clemson pay the exit fee and cancel existing media rights, then ESPN uses that as grounds to renegotiate the contract with the ACC. The exit fees mask the pain in the short term from the renegotiated contract for those in the ACC that chose to stay. If the rats start to scatter during contract renegotiation it may very well be a pac 2 redo as Fox and ESPN feed on the carcass with scraps going to G5 B12 will be the last one to go. Then the tough work starts of making a new division where the questionable value teams of the legacy B1G and SEC get the boot. One reason for litigation is to come to a settlement of a lower exit fee. This is what Maryland accomplished when it left the ACC and sued over an exit fee that was far lower than $140M. And Clemson makes a most salient point. We're supposed to pay you $140M and you keep our media rights? The ACC will stay together in one form or another but like the B12 it will be a lowercase 'p' power 2. I think a Super League is inevitable. Puddles will be there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicroBurst61 No. 9 Share Posted March 20 Honestly, I thought the ACC, this off season, was going to do the PAC collapse but in reverse. Instead of needing a media contract, which ten of the PAC teams waited for and we're left with "insulting" offers. The ACC is locked into, by today's standards, an "insulting" contract compared to what the Power2 or even the BIG12 are contracted towards. We all know what the NFL-Lite power brokers long-term goal is. All this legal maneuvering is just the "hoops and hurdles" to overcome in order to get there. The Real pain is coming for the WSU's and OSU's of the Power2. When all the "bottom feeders" are left out in the cold through further conference realignment, or a relegation system put in place for said teams that the Power2 do not deem as value added to those two conferences. States, universities, boosters, athletes, and fans may or may not like it, but it is evident that this is going to come to pass. As stated before in this thread, amongst many others, Thanks to the power brokers of the UofO ensuring the Ducks remain relevant in the new college conference realignment madness. Can't wait till it's all over and we as fans can adjust our "fandom" to the new dynamics forthcoming in the "new" college football league. Go Ducks! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan2785 No. 10 Share Posted March 20 The stuff about the ACC keeping the media rights even after the exit fee is ridiculous, but the buy out amount is fine, everyone agreed to it, it was stupid by the presidents in the ACC to agree to such a long media deal in the first place, you can't agree to something and then call unfair now that the market has shifted. I would hate to see the league suffer the same fate as the Pac-12, in a lot of ways we mirror each other, states on the coast, a collection of schools that have very good to great academic reputations, great history in basketball, good history in football but not dominate. It has probably had more transition over the years compared to the Pac, but it would be a shame to see it destroyed by greed. At the same time Clemson and FSU probably don't see much other choice in the way that things are now progressing, it's damn shame. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solar No. 11 Share Posted March 20 Pate says we will know the fate of the ACC before the season starts...not too long of a wait. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 12 Share Posted March 21 A take on the future of the ACC, B1G, SEC, and ESPN. In college football realignment, the SEC, Big Ten and ESPN may decide ACC fate BAMAHAMMER.COM This week the biggest news in the world of college football was not Clemson's lawsuit against the ACC. The Tigers were just following along with what FSU had al Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 13 Share Posted March 21 On 3/19/2024 at 1:53 PM, JabbaNoBargain said: I would have guessed the new deal might have slowed the breakup down, but it seems to be doing the opposite. Seems like it’s getting closer to time for a new division if the ACC goes. ACC is not entitled to the same percentage if they lose their top 5 brands but still stick around like the PIG2. I’m guessing ESPN was smart enough to account for the ACC losing P4 status. Problem with a new division (50-60 schools) is it would require booting some schools from the existing B12, B1G and SEC…and I don’t see that happening soon. What are the exit strategies for these top ACC schools? Is the SEC making room for FSU, Miami and Clemson? UNC, Duke and Virginia to the B1G? If that happens, there is essentially an upper division but it still would include the likes of Vanderbilt. Fascinating mess, glad we’re where we are! ESPN has an opt-out coming up soon. The World Wide Leader can opt to drop the ACC and in accordance, shut down the ACC Network which lags behind the SEC Network and Fox's Big Ten Network. Then? CW for the ACC? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 14 Share Posted March 21 On 3/20/2024 at 11:51 AM, spartan2785 said: The stuff about the ACC keeping the media rights even after the exit fee is ridiculous, but the buy out amount is fine, everyone agreed to it, it was stupid by the presidents in the ACC to agree to such a long media deal in the first place, you can't agree to something and then call unfair now that the market has shifted. I would hate to see the league suffer the same fate as the Pac-12, in a lot of ways we mirror each other, states on the coast, a collection of schools that have very good to great academic reputations, great history in basketball, good history in football but not dominate. It has probably had more transition over the years compared to the Pac, but it would be a shame to see it destroyed by greed. At the same time Clemson and FSU probably don't see much other choice in the way that things are now progressing, it's damn shame. Spartan. Good take but everyone agreed to the media rights deal at a time far different than that of the CFB/CBB world we live in today? In return for ESPN capitalizing and managing the ACC Network, the ACC agreed to a deal through 2036. This still works for Boston College, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech, but not for brand names Clemson and FSU. And it's the brand name more than the market size that draws eyeballs. Clemson, SC is a small town. Miami is a big city. Clemson draws far more viewers than does the U. I get why Clemson and FSU do not simply want to suck it up as they are left behind by the B1G and the SEC. The B1G media deal ends in 2031 and with the new deal and revenue from the football and basketball post-season each B1G team, including Oregon as a full partner, will likely be bringing down $100M per annum. Clemson and FSU do not want to hang in and support Pitt, Syracuse, and Duke, like Oregon and Washington, with the grant of media rights ending, were no longer willing to support OSU and WSU. Clemson and FSU both have far more capital invested in athletics than the schools they are carrying. FSU, with BCS titles, and Clemson with playoff titles, are the only two ACC teams to move the needle in football. I doubt the two plaintiffs will escape the ACC without paying an exit fee of some kind but like Maryland when it left the ACC for the B1G and sued over the amount of the exit fee, both will get a discount. Are the suits against the ACC 'honorable?' Perhaps not but millions of dollars are at stake and Clemson and FSU are not going to sit around and be eclipsed by Northwestern and Vandy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 15 Share Posted March 21 Rece thinks the ACC 'as is' is done. https://athlonsports.com/college-football/rece-davis-saddened-college-football-basketball-conference-couple-years-left Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
