FSU To Begin Process Of ACC Departure Amid CFB Playoff Controversy: Report
By Jason Hall
December 21, 2023
Florida State University is reportedly set to begin its process to leave the Athletic Coast Conference, multiple sources confirmed toYahoo Sports Senior College Football Reporter Ross Dellenger on Thursday (December 21).
FSU's Board of Trustees reportedly plan to meet on Friday (December 22) to discuss the Seminoles' conference future, which comes weeks after the football team was snubbed from the College Football Playoff, despite finishing the 2023 regular season with an undefeated record.
"At a meeting Friday, FSU Board of Trustees will discuss the Seminoles’ conference future, and the result of the meeting is expected to produce a legal filing serving as an initial step in an exit from ACC’s Grant-of-Rights, sources tell @YahooSports," Dellenger wrote on his X account Thursday. "With FSU Board approval, legal experts believe that the school will seek a 'declaratory judgement action' in an effort to have a judge rule that it is not bound by the ACC's Grant-of-Rights. Such a ruling could open the door for more programs to exit."
At a meeting Friday, FSU Board of Trustees will discuss the Seminoles’ conference future, and the result of the meeting is expected to produce a legal filing serving as an initial step in an exit from ACC’s Grant-of-Rights, sources tell @YahooSports.https://t.co/VCxvRzTJDw
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 21, 2023
With FSU Board approval, legal experts believe that the school will seek a "declaratory judgement action" in an effort to have a judge rule that it is not bound by the ACC's Grant-of-Rights.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 21, 2023
Such a ruling could open the door for more programs to exithttps://t.co/VCxvRzTbNY pic.twitter.com/WoUzmnMPaB
Earlier this month, College Football Playoff Selection Committee Chair Boo Corrigan admitted that FSU's loss of quarterback Jordan Travis, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in November, was "a big factor" in the Seminoles' exclusion from the College Football Playoff.
"It's unfathomable that Florida State, an undefeated Power Five conference champion, was left out of the College Football Playoff," said ACC commissioner Jim Phillips in a statement obtained by ESPN on December 3. "Their exclusion calls into question the selection process and whether the Committee's own guidelines were followed, including the significant importance of being an undefeated Power Five conference champion. My heart breaks for the talented FSU student-athletes and coaches and their passionate and loyal fans. Florida State deserved better. College football deserved better."
Florida State's potential move away from the ACC follows several other major programs agreeing to deals to switch conferences since 2022.