Greg Sankey says SEC remains focused on Oklahoma, Texas transition amid Florida State rumors

With realignment again a topic of conversation in college sports, Florida State has put itself front and center. FSU’s Board of Trustees held a meeting on Wednesday and indicated its interest in leaving the ACC at some point.

For now, the SEC sounds committed to a 16-team league, according to a statement from commissioner Greg Sankey Wednesday night.

ESPN’s Heather Dinich received a statement from Sankey after she asked about the league’s potential interest in Florida State. FSU’s president said the university should “very seriously consider leaving the ACC” and former Seminoles quarterback Drew Weatherford — who serves on the board — said it’s not an if, but when they leave.

If that happens in the near future, though, it doesn’t appear it will be to the SEC as Oklahoma and Texas prepare to make the leap.

“I have been clear that we are focused on our growth to 16 as we transition Oklahoma and Texas into the Conference,” Sankey said. “Further expansion has not been a central topic in the SEC other than regularly updating our campus leadership on national developments. We are proud of the stability the SEC provides our membership and incredibly excited about our future.”

How the ACC’s grant of rights fits into Florida State’s future

One of the biggest issues surrounding Florida State’s future in the ACC is the grant of rights. The ACC signed its deal in 2013 and updated it in 2016 when the ACC Network came about, extending the deal through 2036. But in the last few years, three other Power Five conferences — the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 — all came to new media rights deals and went through rounds of realignment. The SEC is bringing in Oklahoma and Texas while the Big Ten added USC and UCLA. The Big 12 is now adding four schools this year and will bring in Colorado when Texas and Oklahoma leave in 2024.

Revenue sharing has been a key issue for the ACC, and the league took a step to address that. In May, it announced a “success-incentive initiative” to determine how the revenue gets split and try to keep the conference together. Florida State was one of the “Magnificent Seven” schools that reportedly looked at the grant of rights.

Talks continue to heat up as the latest round of realignment kicks off. It all started last week when Colorado announced its plans to leave the Pac-12 and return to the Big 12. It sounds like that won’t be the last move Brett Yormark makes as On3’s Eric Prisbell reported Arizona as a possible target. The Pac-12’s media rights deal has been a big factor in the conversation.