Florida State AD Michael Alford addresses future in the ACC: 'We'll just wait for that to play out'

Florida State has seemed to have one foot out the door of the ACC of late with how things have played out over the past several months. The Seminoles sued the conferenced in December asserting that it was “trapped in a deteriorating multi-media rights agreement” that prevented it from joining other conferences because of “draconian withdrawal penalties.”

The lawsuit estimated that it would cost FSU $572 million to leave the ACC prior to the expiration of the current media rights deal. The Seminoles are locked into the conference through 2036 according to the contract.

Athletic director Michael Alford addressed the Seminoles current standing with the ACC on Tuesday and didn’t mince words, saying the school will do what it feels is best.

“We’ll just wait for that to play out,” he said. “We have great partners in this conference, great relationships, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to do what’s best for Florida State and look at the changing environment of collegiate athletics and make sure we’re there to be successful.”

Florida State isn’t the only school to sue the ACC, as Clemson joined the Seminoles in March. Both schools have still been allowed to fully participate in league meetings, per On3’s Andy Staples.

Clemson and Florida State are the only schools in the ACC that have ever made the College Football Playoff. The Tigers made six straight CFP appearances from 2015-20 and won two national titles. If both schools were to leave the conference, which is looking more and more like an inevitability, it would have a big impact on the parity of college sports.

This story will be updated.