The Florida State Seminoles were snubbed from the College Football Playoff despite finishing the regular season with a 13-0 record as Atlantic Coast Conference champions. They became the first undefeated team that won a Power Five conference to miss the playoff.
It was no secret that the Seminoles were looking to leave the conference before the snub. The FSU board of trustees is set to meet at 9 a.m. EST on Wednesday; however, according to the listed agenda, it is not set to discuss conference realignment as it did when it held an abrupt meeting after the playoff snub.
Instead, the meeting will be to discuss and attempt to receive approval for an internal loan. While there will be an open forum afterward, it is unclear if there will be any discussions regarding realignment.
The Seminoles were among three schools, along with the Clemson Tigers and North Carolina Tar Heels, who voted against conference expansion. The ACC, however, voted to expand by adding the California Golden Bears, SMU Mustangs and Stanford Cardinal.
They were also among seven schools looking to break the conference's grant of rights agreement, paving the way for their departure, in May, according to Brett McMurphy of The Action Network, who tweeted:
"Clemson, FSU, Miami, UNC, NC State, Virginia & Virginia Tech are 'The Magnificent 7' ACC schools, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. These schools, @RossDellenger reported, have met in past several months, w/lawyers examining grant-of-rights to determine just how unbreakable it is. ACC deal runs thru 2036."
While there are plenty of roadblocks preventing FSU's departure, including a reported $572 million fee, it seems as if none will be discussed in Wednesday's meeting. The board of trustees does have another meeting next week; however, the agenda remains unclear.
Paul Finebaum predicted ACC is 'heading towards the iceberg' amid Florida State departure rumors
While the ACC is set to have 18 members in 2024, ESPN's Paul Finebaum does not see that lasting. Following the vote to approve the California Golden Bears, SMU Mustangs and Stanford Cardinal, the college football insider predicted that the expansion could be the downfall of the conference.
"There is such a fissure right now in the ACC. ... I just want to congratulate the ACC for essentially voting out Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State because after what happened Friday with the admission of SMU, Cal and Stanford, they have essentially given those three a ticket out," Finebaum said on "The Matt Barrie Show.
"That league, which was already teetering towards irrelevancy, has just taken on three schools that devalue an already discounted product even more, and that league is just heading towards the iceberg."
Check out Paul Finebaum's comments on the Atlantic Coast Conference (starting at the 21:50 mark):
While the schools are locked into a media rights deal that runs through 2036, we have often seen that when it comes to realignment, if there is a will, there is a way. It is unlikely that Florida State will depart ahead of the 2024 season. However, it would be a surprise if they remain in the ACC by the end of the media rights deal.
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