ESPN Picks Up ACC Option Through 2036

Good news for the league if so but lots of work to do.

The ACC and ESPN have agreed on an extension that will keep the conference on the network, and the ACC Network, through 2036. This in turn may allow the ACC to work things out with Clemson and Florida State, both of whom have been making noise about bolting for greener pastures.

Or, in this case, fields.

Football has driven conference realignment with the Big Ten, the SEC and lately the Big 12, snapping up schools. It destroyed the PAC 12, which is a real shame because that conference had over 100 years of tradition.

The ACC, Florida State and Clemson now have a chance to work things through and apparently the parties have been negotiating in the background. If it does work out, then we owe a debt to John Swofford, who persuaded the ACC schools to sign over their media rights. That’s being challenged by Clemson and FSU and it’s possible they could win those suits if they went through the full process.

However, Swofford put some tolerable breaks in place and that may turn out to have been far sighted.

Honestly, we don’t care nearly as much about Florida State as we do about Clemson. FSU is like a stepbrother but Clemson has been part of the ACC from the beginning. It’s very strange to think of them being in a different conference.

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