The Clemson football program has already been a topic of substantial rumors in the conference realignment discussions that are currently ongoing across the nation.
Texas and Oklahoma have sent their applications to join the SEC and the questions now surround just what happens next. There are numerous opinions out there from conference mergers to poaching to reactionary decisions from other conferences and everything in between as to what the end game looks like.
One of the early reports to come out of all this was that the SEC had been in contact with Clemson football, as well as Florida State, Ohio State and Michigan about potentially joining the league.
Noles 247 Sports’ analyst Josh Newberg posted on Twitter Thursday afternoon that Florida State will be “proactive when it comes to conference realignment” and that they can “make a move with a partner like Clemson.”
Newberg also voiced his opinion that he believes there will be two mega conferences left standing when it’s all said and done and that’s it’s better to “get moving now than later.”
Its all an arms race, when the dust settles I think there will be two mega conferences left standing. I don't see any significant programs getting left out. But it's better to get moving now than later.
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) July 29, 2021
It sounds a lot like Newberg expects a move from Clemson football and Florida State to the SEC
While he hasn’t come out and said it to the point, it sounds a lot like this report would be teetering towards Florida State– with a partner in Clemson– actively looking for other options outside of the ACC.
Of course, the major roadblock in all of this is the ACC’s Grant of Media Rights deal which isn’t set to run out until 2036.
Could there be a way around it? Newberg thinks so.
All it takes is Clemson to threaten to leave, or to leave, and the whole conference is destabilized. Sort of like how the Big East fell apart. It can happen quickly
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) July 29, 2021
If Clemson and Florida State were to leave the ACC, ESPN would have the option to renegotiate grant of rights with the ACC and that could leave the conference almost for dead, similar to what we saw with Big East– though not exactly the same– and somewhat similar to what we could see happen with the Big 12.
With his opinion that there will be two mega-conferences when the dust settles, is he speaking towards a potential ACC-SEC merger?
There are certainly questions to be asked and the truth of the matter is that no one knows what is going to happen at this point. That being said, we should still take note when a Florida State beat reporter comes out and says that the Seminoles are being proactive in conference realignment.