Florida State president says they will ‘have to very seriously consider leaving the ACC’

Conference realignment talks have been heating up as of late in college sports as bigger conferences such as the Big Ten and the SEC continue to bring in big-name teams thanks to their large media deals. That leaves big-name teams like Florida State in the ACC feeling very uneasy about their current position.

Florida State president Richard McCullough discussed the university’s plan moving forward. And he did not mince words about leaving the ACC being a clear option, albeit not their first option.

“Our goal would be to stay in the ACC,” said McCullough, via Bryan Fischer of Fox Sports. “But staying in the ACC under the current situation is hard for us to figure out how we remain competitive. Unless there were a major change in the revenue distribution within the conference.”

FSU President Rick McCullough: “Our goal would be to stay in the ACC. But staying in the ACC under the current situation is hard for us to figure out how we remain competitive. Unless there were a major change in the revenue distribution within the conference.”

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) August 2, 2023

McCullough went on say that he believes that FSU will need to “seriously consider” leaving the ACC in favor of a bigger conference with a bigger media rights deal.

“I believe FSU will, at some point, have to very seriously consider leaving the ACC unless there is a radical change to the revenue distribution,” McCullough added.

McCullough: “I believe FSU will, at some point, have to very seriously consider leaving the ACC unless there is a radical change to the revenue distribution.”

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) August 2, 2023

The ACC did recently announce a new revenue distribution model that will reward high-achieving programs with additional monetary gains. But it seems like even that may not be enough to stop Florida State from at least seeking other opportunities elsewhere.

[Bryan Fischer on Twitter]