The USC Trojans are no stranger to realignment in collegiate athletics. Just last year, the Trojans left their longtime home in the Pac-12, to join the Big Ten, a move that had massive implications for the state of college sports. Now, new rumors emerged this past week that Clemson and North Carolina could potentially look to leave the ACC for the SEC. Could another waive of college football realignment be upon us? If so, what would that mean from a national perspective?
Realignment never sleeps
After arguably the wildest year in college sports history during which seemingly half of the schools in the country changed conferences, it felt as though things were finally calming down. A reminder: When it comes to realignment, things are never calm.
Could the ACC survive?
The ACC’s status as a “power conference” in college football is already on thin ice. While it is clearly above all of the Group of Five Conferences, it is well below the SEC and Big Ten in terms of the caliber of its members.
Having Clemson is one of the few things keeping the ACC’s status as a “power conference” alive. If the Tigers were to depart, it would effectively be a glorified Group of Five league, similar to the new Pac-12. Could Clemson’s departure create a domino effect in which other schools were to depart as well? If so, would the league be able to survive?
“Power Two” Gap Continues to Widen
Of all of the schools that have won a national championship in football since 2002, Clemson is one of two that is not currently a member of either the SEC or the Big Ten. If the Tigers were to join the SEC, that would leave Florida State as the only program with a national title in the past 23 years that is not in one of those two conferences.
Potential on-field impact
Clemson won two national championships under head coach Dabo Swinney in the…
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Publish date : 2025-07-28 14:13:00
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