Rumor: Without AAU certification, Clemson may leave the ACC in July and join FSU in the SEC.
Greg Swaim, a longtime college football radio announcer, shared a GIF of the Tiger mascot that mimicked the separation of two distinct organizations and hinted that Clemson would depart the ACC as early as July.
Swaim also emphasized that if the two schools don’t receive AAU recognition or receive universal approval from conference members for their arrivals, the Big Ten might not be willing to help with their additions.
“Once again, neither Clemson nor FSU are anywhere near AAU accredited, so unless the six B1G schools who’ve told us they are adamantly opposed to inviting non-AAU schools get their minds changed quickly, these two ACC schools are SEC bound,” said Swaim.
The winds of realignment point to FSU and Clemson leaving the ACC to join the Big Ten rather than the SEC.
Swaim’s sources run counter to those of college football analyst Brett McMurphy, who claimed to have heard that the Big Ten would be the school that would select FSU and Clemson rather than the SEC.
McMurphy stated, “They’re going to leave” (h/t On3). “When matters more than if. A few weeks ago, I attended the ACC Spring Meetings, and… Basically, ACC sources told me that it should come as no surprise that the ACC will fight this all the way to the finish. They will undoubtedly have to settle at some point, but the ACC will do everything in their power to postpone that settlement.
“Because other institutions will be free to depart as soon as a settlement is reached and a figure is determined for Florida State and Clemson to leave. The schools in Virginia and North Carolina. The SEC would undoubtedly be interested. Since they already have Florida and South Carolina, I don’t think they are interested in Florida State or Clemson.
It seems that the Big Ten universities would overlook AAU accreditation in order to grow southward and boost enrollment. If anything, that could likely be covered contractually by a future commitment to pursue accreditation.