Is Florida State's move to Big Ten inevitable? ACC 'falling behind financially'; 2 more teams rumored as targets for conference realignment 

Florida State has harbored the intention to leave the Atlantic Coast Conference for a while and the university hasn't hidden it. The university officials have been vocal about the plans to leave, with a lot of work going on in the background toward the actualization.

In August, the university's Board of Trustees issued a public statement expressing concerns about the financial challenges faced by ACC. The statement also included a veiled threat of considering leaving the conference due to concerns about falling behind financially.

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Is Florida State's move to the Big Ten inevitable?

With the current outlook of things, Florida State's exit from the ACC is only a matter of time. It appears almost certain that the Seminoles won't remain in the conference until the end of the conference's ongoing media rights deal with ESPN, which runs out in 2036.

The university recently got left out of the College Football Playoff in a highly controversial version. The Seminoles ended the 2023 college football regular season unbeaten and went on to claim the ACC Championship. That has resulted in another series of pushes to leave the ACC.

While both the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference were expected to have a battle in getting the Seminoles, a move to the SEC now seems highly improbable. That's probably due to the SEC's close affiliation with ESPN, the network that's prominently involved in the alleged CFP exclusion scandal.

The SEC has also shown no interest in adding Florida State and its ACC rival, Clemson. The Big Ten, meanwhile, has maintained keen interest in both teams, and that gives them a free run in the realignment move, which could be finalized in the next couple of months.

If Florida State joins the Big Ten, the university would experience a substantial financial boost, estimated at $40 million per year. This significant increase in revenue would represent a considerable improvement compared to their current financial standing within the ACC.

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The SEC holds interest in two other ACC teams

While the SEC has shown no interest in Florida State and Clemson, the conference reportedly has an interest in other teams from the ACC. In its next phase of conference realignment, the conference will be keen to add both North Carolina and Virginia.

North Carolina already expressed its intention to leave the ACC by opposing the expansion done ahead of the 2023 season. Virginia, meanwhile, was one of the seven ACC teams that met in the summer to jointly explore an exit plan out of the conference.