Clemson leaving ACC inevitable as school reportedly finds way to break $120M+ GoR for 2025 move to SEC; conference realignment takes a wild turn
The Clemson Tigers may have found a way to leave the Atlantic Coast Conference and get out of the massive Grant of Rights deal for the ACC, causing another massive shift in conference realignment.
According to Sports Illustrated, the fee for a team to leave the conference is $120 million and the majority of attorneys believed that the Grant of Rights was impossible to get out of.
This will cause a massive shift in college football if they are able to get out as it will create a lot of questions for both the Clemson Tigers and the ACC as a whole. As more information emerges, we will begin to see a clearer picture of what is going on.
What does Clemson leaving the ACC mean for the conference?
Clemson leaving is a massive sign that the Atlantic Coast Conference is heading in a similar direction as the Pac-12. They have a media rights deal until 2036 with ESPN, but the company has a clause in the deal that if the conference drops below 15 teams, it can be renegotiated.
The ACC makes an estimated $39.4 million per team every year, so that number would significantly decrease if the Tigers leave.
Beginning in 2024, the ACC is at 17 teams as it added the Stanford Cardinal, California Golden Bears, and SMU Mustangs. If Clemson leaves, it will make the conference a seemingly cheaper product as the top-tier teams are leaving for greener pastures.
This really puts the ball in the court of the ACC as it is likely that Commissioner Jim Phillips is going to have a hard time retaining teams once a way out has been established.
The Clemson Tigers have figured a way out, so what is to stop the Florida State Seminoles and North Carolina Tar Heels, among others, from looking for more money and prestige elsewhere?
This has to be the fear of the conference as it will constantly need to be looking for expansion teams, thus decreasing the level of comfort for compelling action. This is definitely not a good look for the conference as the other Power Five conferences are going to look to poach programs as well.