Why Clemson is set up to leave the ACC in the next decade after settlement of dueling lawsuits

CLEMSON — Clemson settled its lawsuit with the Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday and positioned itself for an exit in the next decade.

Clemson’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to approve the settlement of the school’s lawsuit against the ACC. Florida State’s Board of Trustees and the ACC board of directors also voted to settle the ongoing lawsuits. All three boards needed to agree for the settlement to proceed.

“We are incredibly thankful for all of the time and work that has gone into this proposed settlement,” Clemson athletic director Graham Neff said in a media release. “We often talk about competitive excellence, and this settlement allows us to leverage our national brand to fuel that success.”

Clemson and FSU sued the ACC over their grant-of-rights agreements, which was seen as the first legal step to their departing the conference. The conference sued them both. Neither Clemson nor FSU officially declared that they were intending to leave the conference.

Still, the agreed terms of the settlement − an enhanced revenue distribution and a new exit fee schedule while retaining future media rights − will satisfy both schools for the short term and set up a path to exit in the 2030s when the college football landscape will shift again.

The current ACC exit fee is around $165 million in fiscal year 2026, which is three times the conference’s budget. The new exit fee schedule will reduce the withdrawal penalty by $18 million per year, until it reaches a floor of $75 million during the 2030-31 fiscal year.

This will be around the same time when TV deals for the Big Ten (2029-30), Big 12 (2030) and the College Football Playoff (2031) will be up for renewal. Clemson will have the flexibility to determine its next move amid these changes to remain in the ACC, try to join a new conference or for it or…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/why-clemson-set-leave-acc-180110681.html

Author : Greenville News

Publish date : 2025-03-05 18:01:00

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