3 conference realignment moves fans can expect ahead of 2024 college football season

In 2023, college athletics conference realignment saw significant shifts, including the decline of the Pac-12 and the growth of three other Power Five leagues.

Considering what has been witnessed so far in 2024, we are set for another year filled with more changes in the landscape. Here are three conference realignment moves fans can expect ahead of the 2024 college football season.

3 conference realignment moves to expect ahead of the 2024 college football season.

#1, Breakthrough for Clemson and Florida State

Clemson and Florida State, the two most prominent schools in the ACC, are currently locked in a legal battle with the conference. Both universities are seeking to exit the league without having to pay the $130 million exit fee in place.

According to a host of analysts, both the Tigers and the Seminoles will eventually find their way out of the ACC. One of the biggest conference realignment moves fans can expect this year is a breakthrough for the two schools in their bid to leave.

The case likely won't be resolved before the 2024 college football season begins, but the future of both schools should be clearer by then. This will help in preparing for their eventual exit from the league.

#2, Stronger interest in North Carolina and Virginia

While the two schools are currently not pushing for an exit, North Carolina and Virginia are generating significant interest from the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten.

The interest in both schools is expected to become stronger ahead of the 2024 college football season. This will lead to the conferences meeting with the schools and discussing the possibilities of jumping ship amid the chaos in the ACC.

Both the SEC and Big Ten want to take advantage of the large markets in which the Tar Heels and the Cavaliers are located. This is undoubtedly one of the conference realignment moves fans should expect this year.

#3, Group of Five schools lobbying the Pac-12

The Pac-12 now looks primed for survival in the college athletics landscape despite having just two members left. The conference is expected to expand before the expiration of the two-year grace period handed by the NCAA.

While the Pac-12 expansion process is not anticipated to begin immediately, prospective expansion candidates for the Group of Five are expected to move ahead. There will be a lot of lobbying for considerations from several schools in a bid to attain the Power Five Status.

The league is projected to consider teams mostly from the Mountain West Conference and the American Athletic Conference. This will be another game-changer in the conference realignment landscape.