The long dispute between the Florida State and Clemson on one side, and the ACC on the other, appears to be heading to a conclusion.
Reports circulating Monday suggest that FSU and Clemson are expected to drop their four combined lawsuits against the ACC and reach a mutual agreement concerning revenue distribution.
My interpretation: FSU and Clemson will receive significantly more annual revenue, a few other schools will receive marginally more, and a handful of other schools will be told to “go pound sand.”
The ACC will officially present this new revenue distribution agreement, under which 40 percent of the total annual revenue will be evenly shared. Still, the remaining 60 percent will be distributed unevenly, based on the TV ratings formula for the last five years.
Considering that football viewership will again be the driving force, and Clemson and FSU are the ACC’s marquee football programs, it’s reasonable to expect that the Tigers and Seminoles will reap the benefits of this new arrangement.
But how much?
A Yahoo! Sports podcast on Monday reported that FSU and Clemson could each receive as much as $15 million in additional revenue each year.
That sounds great for FSU and Clemson, but what about the other ACC schools?
Remember, the pie isn’t getting bigger.
Schools like Wake Forest and Boston College will certainly absorb the most significant impact of this new revenue distribution plan, but apparently, that’s OK.
The podcast reported that several administrators are OK with the expected nearly $7 million revenue loss per school in exchange for some long-term stability.
And why would they not be?
The other power conferences aren’t beating down those schools’ doors for possible expansion.
The new revenue distribution model is called the “brand initiative” and will be voted on by FSU and Clemson on Tuesday.
Also, the ACC Board of Directors is scheduled to discuss the settlement terms on Tuesday.
I’d be shocked if a deal is not reached; this appears to be a win-win situation for the ACC and its member schools, in which there is a massive disparity between the top earners in the conference and the bottom-feeders.
Here’s a surprise.
The conference’s top-rated earner in 2024 was Georgia Tech.
How?
The Week 0 football game against FSU, played in Dublin, Ireland, and the seven-overtime loss to Georgia on the final Friday of the regular season propelled the Yellow Jackets’ TV ratings.
Basketball ratings will be factored into the brand initiative formula, but football, as expected, will dominate new numbers.
The much-maligned commissioner of the ACC, Jim Phillips, may yet survive this mess.
If Phillips can get a deal on Tuesday, it’s a massive win for him and for the conference, which appeared to be on life support until recently.
How about Clemson-FSU?
If both schools don’t believe this is a no-brainer, then OK, leave.
But before you do so, please make sure to send the ACC a check for about $700 million for that exit-fee agreement you signed.
And don’t forget about the millions both schools have spent on legal fees to try to find a way out of the conference.
But would you like to go where?
Neither the Big Ten nor the SEC were interested in adding either school.
Last summer, the Big Ten folks said they never talked with FSU or Clemson, even calling FSU a “bad partner.”
Ouch.
So now, both schools are being bailed out of a bad situation they created.
Tuesday, both schools can end a fight they could not win.
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