FSU Leaving the ACC—‘Rumor Has It’

By Steven T. Brown on May 17, 2012

There is notable hype around the rumors that Florida State University will be leaving the Atlanta Coast Conference. FSU was invited into the ACC in 1990 and joined soon after. Since the university has been in the conference for a little over two decades, significant questioning rises as rumors flair about the university possibly jumping the ACC ship. The Big 12 conference is where Florida State may now supposedly have their spears aimed. Within the time since the early nineties, Florida State has established itself as a major powerhouse within the ACC through numerous sporting avenues. Therefore, it is no wonder that there are many raised eyebrows in reaction to what could be a true game changing move.

Photo by ryan.register via Flickr.com

Head football coach Jimbo Fisher certainly added fuel to the rumor fire in his remarks to the Orlando Sentinel:

“There have been no official talks, but I think you always have to look out there to see what’s best for Florida State. If that [jumping to the big 12] is what’s best for Florida State, then that’s what we need to do.”

A statement such as this greatly stirs the pot. There have been “no official talks”. Does this mean there have been unofficial or under the table discussions and inquiries in certain privacy? This would likely never be known. Nonetheless, what can be inferred is that what the university thinks is best will be done, especially from the view of Jimbo Fisher’s statement. In fact, his words hint at a lack of commitment to the ACC, which only backs the rumors that Florida State wants to make a conference move.

However, President Barron of FSU does not seem to keen on the idea of leaving the ACC, as seen in a sort of pros and cons memo which he created to show what would happen if there is or is not a conference change. The cons by President Barron were much longer as he expressed concerns about rivalry, cost and lack of equal shares within the Big 12 conference. Certainly, it would appear that he is not in support of such a move for the university.

Photo by hectoralejandro via Flickr.com

At the root of this story, any changes are indeed rumor that has caught significant buzz. After all, people are talking enough for President Barron to address the rumors and inquiries. Nevertheless, it is certain that even if Florida State desires a Big 12 home, any changes are a long way out from happening. The athletic director for Texas, DeLoss Dodds, explains it best in his remarks about the rumors of an FSU jump to the Austin-American Statesman:

“There’s no traction… There’ve been no conversations between Florida State and the Big 12.”

This gives pretty solid insight into the likely true story in relation to prospective Big 12 changes, coming from an already powerful team within the conference. Despite Dodds’ remarks, murmurs will continue about FSU’s true thoughts and intentions surrounding this new story within the sports world.

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