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A report surfaced on Monday that Florida State and Clemson have been in contact with the SEC regarding a potential move away from the ACC.
However, both schools have now denied that report. Clemson did so on Monday evening, wasting little time before fully committing to the ACC.
And now Florida State has done so as well:
“I want to be clear that persistent reports that Florida State has been in contact with the Southeastern Conference are untrue,” Florida State president John Thrasher said on Tuesday morning. “We have had no communication with the SEC or any representatives of the SEC.”
Florida State President John Thrasher:
“I want to be clear that persistent reports that Florida State has been in contact with the Southeastern Conference are untrue. We have had no communication with the SEC or any representatives of the SEC.”
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) August 3, 2021
This all comes on the heels of Texas and Oklahoma’s surprising move to leave the Big 12 for the SEC. Florida State and Clemson appeared to be the other logical additions if the SEC decided to expand beyond 16 teams.
However, the Big 12 was much more vulnerable than the ACC is. The Big 12’s Grant of Rights agreement is set to expire in 2025, making it reasonable for the Sooners and Longhorns to exit in the next few years. The ACC’s Grant of Rights runs through 2036 — which would make it seemingly impossible for Clemson and Florida State to execute a similar maneuver.
As of now, the SEC isn’t expected to expand beyond 16 teams in the near future.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.