The Florida State vs. ACC dispute returns to court on Monday.
Will this provide FSU with the necessary resources to leave for the Big Ten or SEC?
The two contending parties have been at odds for some time. The Seminoles, who had been dissatisfied with the league and its financial troubles for years, sued the ACC in December over its media rights agreement and the excessive penalty they said it would cost to leave. The league filed a countersuit in North Carolina, and a judge ruled last week that the case could proceed. Clemson and ESPN have also gotten involved.
The FSU-ACC fight returns to Leon County court on April 8th, following their initial hearing. Here’s everything you should know about the ongoing lawsuit case and what it means for college football
For years, Florida State leaders have expressed their discontent with the conference’s income sharing structure. The majority of criticisms are upon the ACC’s TV contract with ESPN, which runs until 2036 despite the network’s significant cuts. The Big Ten negotiated a seven-year, $8 billion agreement to telecast games amongst Fox, CBS, and NBC, which went into effect last season. For the 2024 season, the SEC will begin a 10-year, $3 billion transition from CBS to ESPN.
Those deals include huge payouts for the schools. Florida coach Billy Napier said projections show each SEC school would get millions more from the new deal, rising from $55 million to potentially more than $70 million. FSU athletic director Michael Alford said Big Ten schools will receive about $80 million each year from its TV contract, whereas FSU currently receives $42 million.
Judge John Cooper denied the ACC’s motion to stay FSU’s lawsuit in Florida. He called the ACC’s pre-emptive countersuit in North Carolina a form of “forum shopping,” adding the case should be a concern at the state level for every state with a school in the conference.
Cooper is expected to hand down his decision Monday.
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