If the ACC disbands, where does that leave Clemson football?
As college football continues along a path of reconstruction, Clemson finds itself well-positioned, regardless of the eventual fallout.
This much is certain: A major overhaul is on the horizon of the college football landscape.
The announcement in July 2021 that Texas and Oklahoma were bound for the SEC, followed by last week’s revelation that Southern Cal and UCLA were bolting the Pac-12 for a spot at the Big Ten table may have been a surprise to some, but haven’t we become numb to such revelations of late?
Each day seems to bring new reports of departures, potential arrivals and broken alliances and future partnerships.
Don’t like what you’re hearing? Wait a few days. Rest assured, there are more to come.
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The good news for Clemson is that when the smoke finally clears, the Tigers will be left standing. Prominently.
“If you’re Clemson, you know you’re in a position of strength because football is the biggest key to the cog and you’ve got a great – not good, great – product that is obviously cherished by the ACC and would certainly be wanted by the SEC or the Big Ten,” said Mark Packer, an ESPN ACC Network host. “Clemson has a product which every league in America wants. That is what we call a position of strength.”
Yes, the dawn of the “super conferences” is nigh.
“I think you’ve got to hold on to your hat here because it’s going to be one wild, crazy ride and I don’t think we’re done,” Packer said. “I’ve said for the last five or six years that it’s inevitable – that eventually all of these teams are going to be in one giant pot and the big boys are going to take their ball and their rules and are going to live by a different set of standards. I think we’re on the fast track of seeing exactly that and I think it’s going to happen a lot sooner than I anticipated.”
Clemson’s football pedigree is unquestioned. The Tigers have established themselves as the ACC kingpin and a perennial College Football Playoff contender; two national titles and 11 consecutive seasons with 10 or more victories since 2011 will do that for a program.
Many Clemson fans have long contended that the Tigers belong in the football-heavy SEC rather than the basketball-oriented ACC, and they may get their wish.
It appears highly likely that if the SEC continues to add to its mix, it will do so with a pairing, with Clemson and Florida State a coveted package. A report published Wednesday by SwimSwam.com (yes, a swimming website) cited a source claiming that Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia are negotiating to join the SEC as ESPN attempts to void its TV deal with the ACC.
Regardless, much of what ultimately unfolds hinges on what Notre Dame does. Despite recent flirtations with the ACC that included allowing the Fighting Irish to play a full league schedule during the COVID-impacted 2020 season and 44 regular-season games against ACC opponents over the last eight years, Notre Dame remains a lone outlier, perfectly content to control its destiny and cut its own TV deals.
But one wonders if that will continue to be the case given the current upheaval.
“Notre Dame is kind of a million-dollar question – what do they do?” Packer said. “Do they stay independent, are they going to join a league? If they finally do, is it the ACC or is it the Big Ten?”
Money, of course, has been the driving force behind the sweeping changes, geography and longstanding rivalries be damned.
“Let’s be honest, USC and UCLA getting ready to take on Maryland and Rutgers in a Big Ten game makes no sense,” Packer said. “It might make financial sense, but I think inevitably they will all be in a bracket in which USC and UCLA will play teams in their region.
“When we finally get through this process, however long it takes to get to a Power 50 or 60 teams, whatever that number happens to be, I think there will be another correction in terms of who really does deliver the brands and the power. Then we’ll finally put this thing into regions where we do have natural relationships and play schedules that make sense from a regional standpoint.”
So should Clemson, which has been an ACC member since the league's creation in 1953, be proactive and actively pursue other options or stand pat? Clemson Director of Athletics Graham Neff did not respond to inquiries about the school's pursuit of other conference possibilities on Thursday.
“There are so many moving parts that you really can’t just answer it one way because there are so many different variables that would alter your thinking and approach,” Packer said. “I have a love for the ACC because I grew up in it, but I also understand that business is business. Everybody has a number and at some point, the number says it’s a smart business move to do X, but right now X is a moving target when it comes to the ACC and trying to figure out its future.”
With or without Clemson on board.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: If the ACC disbands, where does that leave Clemson football?
