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FSU and the ACC are currently embroiled in a lawsuit with wide-reaching ramifications, and there’s plenty at stake for both of those parties as well as the rest of the teams in the conference—including the University of Miami, which caught a brutal stray during a hearing on Friday.
There were already plenty of rumblings Florida State was angling to exit the ACC prior to the start of the most recent college football season, and the tides officially turned when it was deprived of a spot in the CFP thanks in part to the perceived weakness of the conference the university has belong to since 1991.
In December, FSU filed a lawsuit against the ACC that argued the conference breached its contract by failing to “maximize athletic opportunities” (and revenue) for its biggest program, although it was beaten to the punch by an organization that filed a motion of its own in order to have the case heard in North Carolina as opposed to Florida.
FSU is attempting to argue the Grant of Rights (which runs until 2036) violates antitrust laws while simultaneously arguing the steep exit penalty that comes with leaving prematurely is unenforceable, and on Friday, lawyers representing the school and the ACC got the chance to start pleading their case in front of Judge Louis A. Bledsoe III.
ESPN’s David Hale headed to the courthouse in Charlotte to cover the proceedings with the help of a lengthy Twitter thread that’s a fantastic resource if you’re looking for a summary of what transpired during the hearing.
That thread included a recap of what went down when an attorney representing the ACC asserted The Sunshine State is home to three college football programs that can be considered members of the P5: FSU, Florida, and UCF—a trio astute readers may realize does not include the Miami Hurricanes.
Finally something FSU might like… ACC lawyer says there are 3 power 5 universities in Florida… FSU, Florida and UCF.
Sorry Miami.
— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) March 22, 2024
That’s gotta sting.