FSU leaving ACC could soon turn into reality as Seminoles' Board of Regents discuss final $572M realignment decision

The Florida State Seminoles could be close to leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference. FSU has been vocal this year about potentially leaving the ACC as president Richard McCullough said the conference needs to make changes if the Seminoles are going to remain in it.

"Our goal would be to continue 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," McCullough said. "That has not happened. Those discussions are ongoing at all times.

"At some point, we're going to have to do something. I'm not that optimistic that we'll be able to stay. I just don't know that. It could occur, but something radically different is going to have to happen. All options remain on the table."

Florida State called a special board of trustees meeting this morning. According to reports, FSU's athletic future in the ACC will be discussed during the emergency meeting.

According to college football reporter Brett McMurphy, FSU's Board of Trustees approved the school to take legal action against ACC to leave the conference.

Additionally, FSU reportedly claims it will cost around $572,000,000 to leave the ACC if the program wants to exit the conference this year.

With the price, it's uncertain if FSU will want to exit this year or will look to depart a few years from now.

---

FSU says it has exhausted all its options

Following the meeting, FSU president Richard McCullough said he wished it could've gone differently but claimed the school exhausted all its options to remain in the ACC.

"This is certainly not where I would prefer to have ended up," McCullough said. "I think that I would prefer a different pathway, but I feel that we have, in many ways, exhausted all our options."

FSU athletic director Michael Alford believes the same as McCullough, as he said the math doesn't make sense for the Seminoles to remain in the ACC.

"This isn't a relationship decision or issue at all," Alford said. "It is a simple math problem, a very clear math problem, and it's an extremely difficult institutional decision."

As of right now, the ACC has yet to respond to FSU's comments.

The Seminoles will play Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 at 4:30 p.m. ET.