Is college football [11] about to undergo another round of realignment? The Big 12's decision to stay at 10 teams after landing TCU and West Virginia to replace Missouri and Texas A&M has left the door open for more expansion rumors. Florida State and Clemson have been mentioned as possible Big 12 expansion candidates, but only time will tell if there is anything to the rumors.
Should Florida State Leave the ACC and Join the Big 12?
Bud Elliott, Tomahawk Nation [12]
It depends. Florida State needs to make whatever move it can to secure its long-term financial future. Whether that is a move to the Big XII, the SEC, or leveraging a potential move to gain concessions from the ACC, I can't be sure. What I am sure of, however, is that FSU is going to struggle to compete with neighbors Florida and Georgia if SEC schools are earning roughly $100 Million more than the Seminoles over a ten-year span. And that may be a conservative number.
Many will trumpet arguments about academics, tradition and travel; but all of those factors pale in comparison to what could happen if FSU gets left in the dust financially by its major competitors. Florida State does not have a rich or deep alumni base, as it is still a fairly new school compared to most. I don't think a move to the Big XII would hurt FSU's academic prestige, and the vast majority FSU fans traveling to current Northeastern conference games from Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami are doing so via plane, not car, so a slight increase in travel mileage really isn't that big of a deal. And if Florida State goes go the Big XII, I assume Clemson and probably Miami will as well, which means FSU would be bringing its top ACC rivals with it to the Big XII.
If the Big XII offers Florida State the chance to increase its revenue stream by 50 percent, as seems likely, then the school must accept an offer if one is extended.
David Fox (@DavidFox615 [13])
The rumors and hypotheticals aren’t going away, are they? I could see the move making competitive sense, at least compared to other conference moves. And the move would create a bit of symmetry by having a Florida school in the Big 12 with a Texas school now in the SEC. FSU wouldn’t even be the Eastern-most team in the Big 12. I suppose there’s also a sense the Big 12 would be a better athletic fit as the ACC expanded North and improved its already strong basketball standing with Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the Big 12 has only one traditional basketball program (Kansas) on par with North Carolina, Duke and Syracuse. The ACC won't be the mess the Big East is/was with football schools and basketball-only schools, but there's certainly a deeper division between the football-central and basketball-centric schools compared to other power conferences. As always, the conference moves come down to money, which Florida State somehow doesn’t have enough of, according to Chip Brown of Orangebloods.com. That itself strikes me as a problem bigger than conference alignment. Should Florida State athletics (read: football) ever face a budget shortfall? My guess is the rumors are just rumors at this point. The next domino to drop will be the format of the new football postseason and the television contract that follows. Once that is decided, the conferences and schools will attempt to align themselves in a way that gives them greatest access to the playoffs.
Braden Gall (@BradenGall [14])
Superiority, stability, geography, academics, athletic competition and overall cultural philosophy all point to Florida State never joining the Big 12. The primary reason Texas A&M bolted for the SEC is it's inferiority complex surrounding Big Brother Texas. Right now, Florida State is still THE premiere program (no offense, Virginia Tech) in the ACC. Why would it risk taking a back seat to Texas and possibly Oklahoma? With Syracuse and Pitt scheduled to join the league in the very near future, the ACC also offers an incredibly stable 14-team battlefield for the Noles. Unless the Big 12 adds Louisville and three other teams, it won't be considered a safer situation. Additionally, sending its fans west of the Mississippi on a regular basis will alienate itself from its cultural core — the Southeast. Despite being a national brand, Florida State is a Sun Belt university, not a western power. This is something that a program like West Virginia has to do to survive, not FSU. Academically, the ACC is a superior conference to every other league in major football — and it's not even close. Highly-touted academics can create significant overall advantages for a university — whether the athletic departments ever publicly admit it or not. And finally, while football might be stronger in the Big 12, the ACC offers a higher level of athletic competition across all sports - hence, the new $3.6 billion TV contract extension with the mothership. Anyway you slice it, it feels like a horizontal move for Florida State.
Steven Lassan (@AthlonSteven [15])
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, the Big 12 was on the verge of breaking apart, but the outlook has completely changed heading into this summer. The conference landed a great television contract, and the teams committed their media rights, so there’s a feeling of stability. The Big 12 also made a great hire, pulling away Bob Bowlsby from Stanford to be its new commissioner.
Even though the Big 12 has indicated it is happy at 10 teams, expansion rumors have persisted for several months. Louisville still remains a viable target, and BYU has been mentioned as a Big 12 expansion candidate as well. The rumors about Florida State and Clemson have been hanging around for a while and certainly don't seem to be going away.
Considering the budget issues at Florida State, jumping to a conference that could create more revenue certainly makes sense. However, I think it would be a mistake for the Seminoles to leave the ACC. Although the ACC is considered a basketball conference, Florida State has a chance to be the biggest fish in the pond. The Seminoles have yet to dominate the ACC on the gridiron, but all of the pieces are in place to be an annual top-10 team. Jumping to the Big 12 would mean Florida State takes a hit in the pecking order. The Seminoles would have to contend with Oklahoma and Texas, along with rising programs at Oklahoma State, TCU and West Virginia. There’s no question the schedule would be tougher in the Big 12, which would only hinder Florida State’s quest to return as an annual national title contender.
It seems the rumors about conference realignment will continue throughout the summer, but I would be very surprised if Florida State left the ACC for the Big 12.
Mitch Light (@AthlonMitch [16])
Florida State to the Big 12 seems a bit odd, but often when there is smoke there is fire. And there has been some smoke of late. There is only one reason why the school would consider the move. And it’s a big reason — money. But from a pure football standpoint the move doesn’t make any sense. Yes, the Big 12 is a strong conference, but the ACC is good enough to allow Florida State to compete for national championships.
As long as the Noles continue to play at least one marquee non-conference game each season, their schedule will be strong enough to keep them in national title chase — assuming they win enough games. It’s not like in the Big East, where a team could run the table and still find itself on the outside looking in (at the BCS National Championship Game or a four-team playoff).
This year, Florida State had non-conference games vs. West Virginia and South Florida on its schedule. WVU pulled out because of its impending move to the Big 12, but let’s assume that the game was still on — and assume that future FSU schedules will look similar. If the Noles navigated an ACC slate that featured Clemson, NC State and one or two of the better teams in the Coastal Division (Miami, UNC, Virginia Tech, etc.) and also beat a quality non-conference opponent, they would undoubtedly be ranked among the top two or three teams in the nation. And from a football standpoint that is really all the schools should be looking for — an opportunity to play for a national title.
So FSU, please rebuff any overtures that may be coming from the Big 12. The money might be attractive, but it would not be in the best interest of your football program. The grass is green enough in the ACC.
Patrick Snow (@AthlonSnowman [17])
A move to the Big 12 does not make sense for Florida State athletics and its fan base. The only reason for joining a league where you are not part of the geographic footprint is obviously money. However, I’m just not sure that the money would be significant enough long term to justify alienating the fan base. The Big 12’s new contract last year patched up some major holes in the league, but four schools – Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M and Missouri – left the conference because of instability generated by the University of Texas’ greed. How long before the Longhorns want different terms or another separate deal? There may be a little more money for Florida State per year in the short term with a move, but the Seminoles would pay in many ways.
First of all, the exit fee from the ACC would cancel some of the Big 12’s short term increase in dollars. We all know football is the decision-making sport, but the Noles have an outstanding athletic program across the board. The ACC is big time in basketball, baseball, etc., and the additional travel costs and step down in competition would not be beneficial. There are some Northern schools in the ACC, but the majority of the league is closer than any Big 12 school. I think that fact would hurt in growing the FSU fan base and the money those fans represent. It just doesn’t make much common sense for the Seminoles to be an outlier in the South.
With budget issues, many leaders make short-sighted and selfish decisions to pad their own interests instead of being a steward of the firm, school or organization. The ACC is a solid conference where Florida State fits well, while the Big 12 has two football pillars, no FSU rivals and a ton of uncertainty. Changing leagues has major ramifications, and I think Florida State would regret the move long term.
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