Clemson files lawsuit against ACC

Clemson has filed a lawsuit that, if successful, would see the university leave the ACC, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.

The Tigers' move follows counterpart Florida State, who began trying to sue its way out of the ACC back in December. Clemson's lawsuit was filed in Pickens County, S.C.

In its lawsuit, Florida State argued the Grant of Rights contract binding all ACC schools together came with an unduly harsh punishment for exiting, and that the ACC has failed in its duties to protect FSU's competitive and financial interests. Florida State estimated it would cost $572 million to exit the conference in 2023.

"The ACC's actions interfere with Clemson's free exercise of its rights and are fatally detrimental to Clemson's efforts to ensure that its athletic programs can continue to compete at the highest level, which is critically important to Clemson even beyond athletics," Clemson's filing said. 

A Grant of Rights contract has never been tried in court. If successful, Clemson, Florida State and others could potentially leave the ACC for far less than that.

The move comes as leaders across college football have ratified a new College Football Playoff contract from 2026-31 that will see Big Ten and SEC schools net $21 million per year per school, while ACC schools will make around $13 million each. (Big 12 schools will make $12 million per year, along with Notre Dame, while the Group of 5 will receive far less than that.)

The Big Ten and SEC have also pushed for a model in a 14-team field that would see their leagues receive three automatic bids apiece, while the ACC and Big 12 would get two.

Of course, those are relatively small issues compared to the disparity in television contracts for regular season games. Big Ten schools will double ACC per-school payouts soon, with the SEC not far behind the Big Ten. 

Florida State's suit against the ACC revealed that ESPN is presently committed to fund its all-in deal with the conference through 2027, with an option to remain under contract through 2036. However, the ACC's Grant of Rights lasts through 2036 -- whether or not ESPN picks up its option.

Clemson and Florida State were two of seven schools to meet independently last year to explore options to leave the ACC, per Yahoo. The other five were Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech. 

Clemson, UNC, NC State and Virginia are charter members of the conference, founded in 1953. 

As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest. 

Update: The ACC has released a statement.