The legal fight between Florida State, Clemson, and the ACC is now officially over, for now.
After agreeing to a landmark settlement in March, court records in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida this week show the conference and two schools have formally dismissed their lawsuits against each other, ending more than 17 months of litigation.
FSU first sued the ACC—and the conference quickly countersued the school—in December 2023 after the Seminoles were left out of the College Football Playoff, despite having a perfect 13–0 record that the CFP selection committee did not grade as strong as the schedules played by the four teams that reached the Playoff that year.
To leave the ACC (and improve its future chances of making the CFP), FSU argued the conference’s “draconian” Grant of Rights contract—which stated the school would owe $572 million in exit fees—was unenforceable under Florida state law. Clemson sued the ACC, and the conference countersued in March 2024.
The Path Ahead
The settlement had two main components: allowing for a new revenue-incentive structure based on television money and reducing the exit fees for leaving the conference.
In 2026, exit fees will cost $165 million and will fall by $18 million every year until 2030–31. At that point, the exit fees will level off at $75 million per school until 2036.
While the settlement primarily serves as a measure to keep FSU and Clemson in the ACC for the time being, it also has ramifications for college sports at large.
With the new framework, it appears all major television contracts will bind the Power 4 conferences together for the next several years. The industry could see the next iteration of seismic conference realignment when they come due in the early 2030s.
