Is FSU trying to get a "bigger piece of ACC" pie? CFB insider unveils the current situation around conference realignments

It's been a tense situation in the ACC for a couple of weeks amidst the ongoing conference realignment. The conference has so far been unable to make any move toward expansion in this window.

The closest it got in recent weeks was considering a potential admission of Standford and Cal as members. But then, its Board of Presidents declined to vote on it.

As we understand from insiders' reports, the ACC's inability to expand so far is not due to a lack of interest or will to expand. A member of the conference's front office confirmed to Forbes' Jim Williams that there is indeed an interest in adding schools that add value. They said:

"We have Internet in adding any school's that adds value. Both Stanford & Cal are worthy of consideration. But timing is not right at this point we have some other issues to resolve first."

The question then is, what were those issues that the conference prioritized over expansion in a period when almost everyone else is expanding? The answer may take us back further than the current round of conference realignment that has reduced the Pac-12 to Pac-4.

The leadership of the ACC came up with a new revenue-sharing format earlier this year. The format would ensure every team gets an equal share of the post-season revenue from bowl games and the College Football Playoff.

While this may be in the best interest of parity in the conference, some marquee schools are not having any of that. FSU and Clemson are the faces of these disgruntled elements. And their message is clear. They want bigger pieces of the revenue pie.

Will FSU leave the ACC?

Probably these schools would have left the conference. But the ACC also anticipated this and put a preemptive measure in place. A grant of rights agreement was signed by the schools lasting through 2036. With the schools lacking the financial weight to buy themselves out of the agreement, they resorted to frustrating the conference's expansion plans.

That might sound a bit desperate or even overboard, but money is what drives everything in college football. The big schools want a bigger share of the pie to maintain their status.

While it may sound more egalitarian to have every school receive equal shares, it feels like cheating to the marquee schools. Their brands contribute to the worth of the conference's brand after all. And why make it to the playoff only to share the revenue equally with schools that didn't?