Amid rumors about Clemson and FSU leaving ACC, CFB insider claims conference is backfilling with much cheaper product

There have been multiple rumors swirling about the Clemson Tigers and Florida State Seminoles looking to leave the Atlantic Coast Conference. That would be primarily due to the revenue provided to the programs, as they're seen as the top programs in the ACC.

Former President of Fox Sports Networks and co-founder of the Big Ten Network Bob Thompson notes how the addition of Stanford and Cal may not be in ESPN's best interest:

"ESPN is paying full rate for Stanford and Cal. Stanford and Cal are accepting less from the ACC. If someone is leaving, all this does is backfill with a lesser quality product. How is that in ESPN's best interest?"

The addition of programs like the Stanford Cardinal and California Golden Bears could be viewed as diluting the product of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

ESPN, who reportedly has a renegotiation clause if the ACC falls under 15 teams, would likely not be interested in having filler teams replace some of the top programs like Clemson and Florida State.

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What's next for Clemson Tigers and Florida State Seminoles?

The Clemson Tigers and Florida State Seminoles have one major decision to make, and that's to officially leave the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The best scenario for the two programs would be to accept an invitation from the Southeastern Conference. At this moment, the ACC is in the midst of a 20-year media rights deal that expires in 2036 and are getting $39.4 million per team per season.

Clemson has a lot of value to bring to whatever conference would want to add them, as they're the last non-SEC team to win the national championship. The Tigers are a program that leads the way for the conference, so if they leave, the ACC is going to be closing in to a situation similar to the Pac-12.

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What should the ACC do going forward?

If they're approaching a renegotiation with ESPN, the ACC will see a massive decrease in money.

That also would mean teams like the Clemson Tigers leaving the conference, which means they will not going to have the quality teams. Instead, there will be a lot of filler teams, and ESPN would not be too thrilled.

This will be interesting to see develop, as once the Tigers and Seminoles leave, the conference could begin to crumble.