Clemson and Florida State want us all to know how unhappy they are in the ACC

With UCLA and USC off to the Big Ten and the Red River Rivals to the SEC, the number of marquee brands not in the Most Powerful 2 conferences is dwindling.

Notre Dame is unquestionably a 5-star brand that could have a spot in either conference the moment they say the word. It's no secret Oregon and Washington have their respective phones nearby in case the Big Ten calls.

It's an anxious time for everyone not in the SEC, the Big Ten, or the Big 12, whose recent TV deal secures the conference's medium-term future.

The ACC's long term future is secure, thanks to a 20-year contract the league signed with ESPN back in 2016... and that's entirely the problem.

This chart, shared by Florida State leadership during a board of trustees meeting on Friday, exemplifies why certain members are feeling antsy. The Big Ten and SEC are already lapping the ACC financially, and both will return to the negotiating table before the ACC. It's fair to wonder how much ESPN, Fox, and the rest will have to spend by the time 2036 rolls around. 

Florida State leadership explained to the board it would cost around $120 million to get out of the ACC today, but that's only a fraction of the true cost. In order to get ESPN to fund the ACC Network, all ACC schools signed a grant of rights contract. This means that, even if FSU were to go independent and build a dream home schedule of Florida, Miami, Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan and the Tampa Bay Bucs, all media revenue generated from those games would belong to the ACC. Florida State, Clemson, and everyone else granted those rights over to the conference.

It's an open question as to whether a GoR contract would survive a lawsuit from a school looking to tear theirs up... but we can infer a lot from the fact that no one's been willing to try, at least so far.

So, where does that leave Clemson and FSU? Why are we talking about this?

A strategy that has emerged from both schools has been to argue that they should receive a larger share of the pie than the rest of the ACC.

From the Tallahassee Democrat:

And the Charleston, S.C., Post and Courier: 

“We have to do something,” FSU AD Michael Alford told the paper. “Because we are a brand, and we’re a very important brand, and we drive the media value in this conference.”

“Is it time revenue distribution within conferences, or at least the ACC, is done differently?" said Clemson's Graham Neff. "Yeah, I’ve been very active in those conversations within the league and continue to expect to take a leadership role in our desire for that to be a changed circumstance. Urgently.”

Both schools said they're working with ACC leadership to deliver what they believe they're worth, but no consensus emerged from this month's winter meetings in Charlotte. Why would Wake Forest and Boston College hand over part of their share just because Clemson and FSU asked for it? And why would ESPN pay the ACC more than the agreed upon price, especially when it's locked in for the next 13 years? 

There's no easy answer to either question if you're Clemson or Florida State. And so that's why the Seminoles are rattling their spears, why the Tigers are showing their teeth.

At this point, it seems to be the only options they have.