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Florida State has been pushing to leave the Atlantic Coast Conference since the conclusion of the 2023 college football season. The Seminoles officially began the move with a lawsuit against the conference after years of being vocal about their intention to leave.
According to college football insider Greg Swaim, the Noles alongside their rival Clemson are expected to announce their exit from the ACC and join the Southeastern Conference before the end of the year. This will mark another disruption in the realignment landscape.
A successful exit by Florida State and Clemson will undoubtedly crash the reputation of the ACC in the college football landscape. The relevance of the league most relies on the two schools and an exit could mean an impending disaster for the conference’s future.
What do Florida State and Clemson add to the SEC?
Florida State and Clemson command the biggest market in the ACC and this is what they will be bringing over to the SEC. The Seminoles and the Tigers boast among the most watched teams in the college football landscape, ranking alongside a couple of top SEC teams.
In the 2023 college football season, the Seminoles were the ninth most watched team in college football and No. 1 in the ACC with an average of 4.16 million viewers. The Tigers followed in the ACC ranking with an average of 2.9 million viewers, good for 19th overall.
Read more: Is Clemson leaving ACC? Tigers sue P5 conference for massive $140,000,000 exit fee
In context, only Alabama (7.12 million), Georgia (5.9 million) and Tennessee (4.57 million) ranked ahead of Florida State. Also, the likes of Auburn (3.55 million), Missouri (3.25 million), Florida (3.17 million) and Ole Miss (2.93 million) were just ahead of Clemson.
In a more lucrative and competitive SEC, Florida State and Clemson are bound to gain wider exposure and more marketability that will benefit the conference and its current members.
Big Ten wants North Carolina and Virginia
According to Greg Swaim, the Big Ten is interested in adding North Carolina and Virginia to its fold in the next wave of conference realignment.
The Big Ten will be adding four teams from the Pac-12 in 2024 with USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington teaming up with the conference. The addition of Tar Heels and the Cavaliers will make the league more competitive and boost its overall value and revenue.
