Clemson denies report they have asked to join the SEC

On Monday, Clemson denied a report that they reached out to the SEC about joining the powerhouse conference with Florida State. Earlier on Monday it was reported that the Tigers and the Seminoles were attempting to leave the ACC for the growing SEC brand, which a Clemson representative has fully denied according to The Athletic’s Grace Raynor.

Early reports and Clemson’s response

When Marc Ryan of ESPNUpstate.com reported today that Clemson and Florida State were seeking to join the SEC, the story travelled quickly. The report showed that the schools were interested in joining the same way Texas and Oklahoma did. It further established that the SEC was hesitant due to their financial impact not being as great. Shortly after this report came out, a spokesperson from the athletics department of Clemson made a statement that “there is no truth to the report that Clemson University has been in contact with the Southeastern Conference regarding membership.” As of yet there is no official statement from Florida State, nor are there any additional corroborating reports for the original story.

What leaving the ACC means

Fresh off the news that the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma are joining the SEC, the money and fame of NCAA football is trending towards the SEC. The decision to add these schools to the conference was largely based on the value they add to the SEC brand. In the wake of this news, college football is facing new conference realignments larger than those from a decade ago.

The last major departure from the ACC was Maryland when they accepted an offer to join the Big Ten. Prior to their move, the ACC was facing rumors then of schools leaving for other conferences. At that time they voted to increase the cost of leaving the conference. Leaving the conference carries a hefty price, equal to three times the annual operating budget of the program. This near $50 million cost did not dissuade Maryland, and the ACC brought in Louisville as their replacement. The final price ended up being settled at $31.4 million.

This time the rumors are even more concerning as the SEC has shown a willingness to expand. Losing two schools would be a major hole to fill for the ACC, and it could risk the future of Notre Dame who joined the conference in unique capacities. As of now however, Clemson denies the report that this is on the table.

What Clemson and Florida State would bring

The Clemson Tigers and the Florida State Seminoles are two of the largest brands in college football. Clemson has won three national championships, including 2016 and 2018 under coach Dabo Swinney. They’ve had sustained success in the conference, having won the ACC conference title every year since 2015. In the six year stretch, they’ve only suffered three losses to ACC opponents.

The Seminoles bring their own championship pedigree, having won seven championships under legendary coach Bobby Bowden. Most recently they won the 2013 title under new Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher. Furthering the stretch of dominance these programs have shown, Florida State won the three conference titles before Swinney’s run, winning 2012-2014.

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