Spear Opportunity

First of all, may I say up front I am strongly opposed to all the conference alignment we have witnessed in college football over the last decade or so. The last time I thought major movement made sense was when Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Texas started this new wave by refusing to share revenue in the previous Big XII and forming with ESPN The Longhorn Network. Nebraska, with fan loyalty and football tradition rivaling anyone and everybody, was not going to be second fiddle to Texas and bolted for the Big Ten, with Colorado also heading to the PAC 12. Given the situation, I thought the decision to move for UNL was necessary and principled, ensuring stability for Nebraska moving forward.

Many moves among second rate conferences took place in the aftermath, but the most significant was Missouri and Texas A&M leaving the Big XII for the Southeastern Conference. Then, Pittsburgh and Syracuse joined the ACC, a move that was no doubt centered on the hardwood rather than the gridiron, which left the ACC brass giddy.  As thoughts of the ACC basketball tournament being held at Madison Square Garden were bubbling, it seems focus on where the money was made, football, was temporarily suspended.  In a report on 60 Minutes last night, this focus was in full comprehension by the current Athletic Director at Michigan.

With Rutgers on deck to move on Tuesday, ACC charter member Maryland announced today that the Terrapins will be leaving the ACC for The Big Ten. Maryland and Rutgers are certainly not leaders or legends in anything, so one has to wonder on the merits of this move by Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney. While it appears they will bring television eyeballs from the New York, DC and Baltimore population centers, I have doubts. That area has a greater appreciation for professional sports. Last Saturday, against highly ranked Florida State, Maryland could not fill their football stadium even with thousands of Seminoles visiting.

Make no mistake, conference realignment is shifting at a fast and furious pace, and we are far from the conclusion.

Brent Beaird of CollegeSportsNotebook.com concurs, with his crystal ball showing the SEC, after going west, looking east to perhaps North Carolina and/or Virginia.

These events are an alarm bell for Florida State University, which simply must, if not having previously done so, adopt a proactive mindset.

Previously, rumors had Florida State and Clemson heading to what remains of The Big XII, which no longer has a league title game and needs one.  But it seems the Seminoles hold a high rate of allegiance to the ACC, who welcomed in the Seminoles in 1992.

However, the landscape is changing; like struggling for footing in an earthquake, and billions of dollars and the future of the university is at stake.  FSU has spent a fortune in blood and money building a football tradition, not withstanding currently sitting as ACC basketball champions.

Previous actions have recently showed the ACC was continuing to build from a basketball mindset, and that is not the FSU pedigree.  The Seminoles seemed content to remain loyal to the ACC, but with Maryland now gone, and with potential replacements far below FSU in most every academic and athletic level, FSU must now look to depart.  Now.

Teams in the SEC, Big Ten and Big XII are guaranteed millions more annual dollars than FSU is in the ACC, and over time, with another four years of economic underachievement at best looming, FSU cannot afford to fail to seek to maximize future opportunities academically, athletically, and of course, financially.  Hopefully, the FSU Board of Trustees has been war gaming these potential issues and has planned avenues of approach.

The horrendous economy has stadiums across the country, even programs which typically are sold flat out like Florida, Michigan and South Carolina, with thousands of empty seats.  FSU, whose massive stadium upgrade is far from paid for, is no exception.

A huge factor in a move would be these leagues forming equivalents to the Big Ten Network.  The SEC is close, and The Big XII could get with ESPN and have The Longhorn network evolve into a Big XII network.

Although Florida State is considered a national program, the SEC is without question the better fit geographically and when considering football tradition, but the Big XII is an intriguing option as well. Annual games against Texas and Oklahoma are attractive. The Big XII would welcome a footprint in Florida, which may in a backward way turn out to be a reason the University of Florida relaxes their opposition to FSU joining the SEC.

Florida State is taking an ACC hit as we speak, unable to climb in the BCS poll to reach a higher payout bowl game, due to the weakness of the conference, leaving money and exposure on the table. Maryland leaving further discredits the ACC, and leaves the future of the conference shaky and down trending. 

Given that, much like Nebraska a few years back, Florida State needs to be proactive and make the best deal available to move in very short order to secure stability and the capitalize on future economic opportunities.  It appears, particularly from a football perspective, the Atlantic Coast Conference will not represent that opportunity.