As conference realignment continues to shake up the world of college athletics, the Atlantic Coast Conference and Clemson’s place in it has become increasingly shaky. 

In 2016, former ACC Commissioner John Swofford signed a media contract that bound Clemson and its cohort to ESPN through the 2035-2036 academic school year. 

This deal brought almost $40 million to each of the 14 schools in the 2021-2022 season. However, the majority of members were left disappointed as the total revenue difference between the ACC and other Power-5 conferences, namely the SEC and Big Ten, became apparent. 

According to USA Today, federal tax records show how much revenue the conferences brought in from the 2022 fiscal year. The Big Ten led with $845.6 million, the SEC in second with $802 million, the ACC in third with $617 million, the Pac-12 in fourth with $580.9 million and the Big 12 rounding out the multi-billion dollar Power Five total with $480.6 million. 

How complicated would it be for Clemson to leave? Incredibly. The ACC has an approximate $120 million exit fee for each school. The real kicker comes from the ACC’s Grant of Rights, which relinquishes each program’s control of its television rights through 2036. Leaving the conference means leaving television earnings behind, making the total fallout hundreds of millions higher. 

Fellow ACC member Florida State University has been vocal in expressing its concerns.

“Something has to change because we cannot compete nationally being 30 million behind every year,” Florida State University has been vocal in expressing their concerns, as President Richard McCullough told his board of trustees. “It’s not one year. We’re talking about 30 million compounded year after year.” 

While Florida State hasn’t shined away from outlining its frustrations, the school, and the other ACC members, will have to remain in the conference through the 2024 football season, as the deadline to notify the conference of an exit passed on Aug. 15. 

Between Clemson’s $158 million and Florida State’s $161.1 million revenue, these two schools alone made up over half of the $617 million the ACC brought in. This leaves the Tigers and Seminoles in a unique position to bring substantial value to a different conference if they wish to leave.

The challenge for coming years will be keeping up with better-endowed schools while receiving substantially less. The ACC joined forces with The CW Network in an effort to keep up, allowing them the rights to 50 football and basketball games. 

But despite the ACC’s best efforts to compete with other conferences, the SEC and Big Ten have poached several teams and become two powerhouses in the college football world. The SEC added Texas and Oklahoma, two of the nation’s most storied programs, while the Big Ten added Oregon and Washington earlier this month and the teams will officially join the conference next August. 

As Clemson looks to profit off its success on the fields and courts, the school’s membership in the ACC remains a big talking point heading into another football season.