Getty Image / Peter Joneleit
It’s no secret that Florida State would like to leave the ACC for greener pastures. The money being made in the Big Ten and SEC following new TV deals set to start this year is just too much money for a top program like that to pass up.
While the SEC is the natural geographical fit, some say that Florida State actually prefers the Big Ten due to the slightly superior media deal and increased academic prestige. But, SEC Network personality and longtime radio host Paul Finebaum doesn’t think the academics in Tallahassee are up to snuff.
Here’s what he had to say on his radio show this week about Florida State’s chances.
“I’m not convinced that they will want Florida State,” he said. “I know Florida State thinks they’re heavily in demand, but there are some questions about exactly what they bring to the Big Ten. They don’t fit the Big Ten model… the Big Ten, I believe, other than Nebraska, has highly accredited schools, and I don’t think Florida State really qualifies for that.”
It is true that the Big Ten is full of schools who take academics pretty seriously, and all but Nebraska are members of the prestigious American Association of Universities that only admits the nation’s top research institutions. Florida State is not part of the AAU, but that doesn’t mean they’re some slouch.
At 53rd in the nation in the latest US News World Ranking, they rank higher than many Big Ten schools, and they are a Tier I research university, indicating robust research spending.
Academics definitely play a factor for the Big Ten, for better or worse. But, despite not being an AAU member, Florida State would probably fit in just fine in the conference academically, contrary to Paul Finebaum’s beliefs.
Plus, we all know that sports, specifically football, is the most important thing to these expansion decisions. And, Florida State is pretty good at that, and comes with a large fan base.