As the waves of conference realignment continue to crash, Florida State and Clemson could be the latest dominoes to fall. However, according to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel, the two powerhouse schools won't be moving this season.

“Have been told by multiple sources that there’s no expectation for Florida State or Clemson to notify the ACC they intend to leave by the Aug. 15 deadline to depart after the upcoming year. That’s the deadline to declare intentions to exit for the 2025-26 year,” said Thamel on X.com.

ACC could be latest conference to fall apart

Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) runs against Florida State Seminoles linebacker Karen DeLoach (4) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium.
Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

As the conference landscape moves towards favoring a larger number, it seems as if the era of the “super conference” is here to stay. The Big Ten is currently at 18 teams after adding USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington following the collapse of the Pac-12. The SEC sits at 16 after Oklahoma and Texas officially joined earlier this summer.

It seems like the next round will involve teams from the ACC, as Florida State and Clemson are currently embroiled in lawsuits to leave the conference. Both the SEC and Big Ten recently negotiated new television deals that will net their members millions of dollars each season under the agreements, and the Big 12 also inked a new deal as well.

Unfortunately, the ACC's deal is lagging behind those new contracts, so the Noles and Tigers are trying to explore their options outside of the conference so they can secure more money for their athletic departments, as well as for the schools as a whole.

Currently, each ACC school makes a little over $17 million per season under the agreement in place. This is far behind the latest pacts that schools in the SEC ($68.75 million), Big Ten ($71.875 million), and Big 12 ($22 million this season, $31.7 million starting in 2025/26) currently receive under the agreements signed over the past year.

ACC's grant of rights might prohibit FSU and Clemson from leaving

So, based on these numbers, one can see why Florida State and Clemson are currently locked into legal battles on whether or not they can leave the conference before the Grant of Rights expires in 2036. The longer these schools stay into a contract that pays them millions of dollars less than universities in other conferences, the more tenuous their standing can be across the athletic departments. Thousands of athletes play in various programs, and the more money that is available to these schools, the better off they will be.

Yet, based on Thamel's latest report, it seems as if both universities won't be able to leave the ACC in the immediate future. Hopefully, a solution will be worked out in which the schools can receive increased revenues in order to keep the future of their conference bright. As conference realignment continues to change the landscape of college sports, a move away from the ACC may be just what the doctor has ordered for FSU and Clemson.