Syracuse Orange: ACC, Clemson & Florida St. end litigation; vital for league's future

On Tuesday, a critical development transpired that, hopefully, will pave the way for greater long-term stability in the Atlantic Coast Conference, where the Syracuse Orange is a member.

The ACC, Clemson and Florida State announced on Tuesday that they had resolved all of their ongoing legal disputes. As a result, those two schools will remain full members of the 18-member league, and the parties have dismissed all their pending lawsuits in several states.

"Today’s resolution begins the next chapter of this storied league and further solidifies the ACC as a premier conference," the conference's commissioner, Jim Phillips, said in the media release.

I can't stress enough how important Tuesday's announcement is for the future of the ACC. Syracuse's league, as far as I can tell, is trying to reside in the No. 3 spot in collegiate athletics, behind the Big Ten Conference and the Southeastern Conference, while staying ahead of the Big 12 Conference.

As I had noted on various occasions, I also found the lawsuits filed by Clemson and Florida State against the ACC to be an annoying distraction. If the Tigers and/or the Seminoles wanted to bolt the league, they should have just ponied up the money for their significant exit fees and left. But alas, now they're staying.

I'm optimistic that the Syracuse Orange will find itself in a stronger ACC.

In May of 2023, the ACC's board of directors endorsed a success-based initiative derived from the performance of league members in revenue-generating postseason competitions (mainly football and men's/women's basketball).

Tuesday's settlement adds another layer. ACC members have agreed to create a new revenue distribution model based on viewership. From the press statement: "The new and innovative model will continue to support the entire membership while adding a component directly focused on annual football and men’s basketball viewership."

The thought is that schools such as Clemson, Florida State (and perhaps Miami, North Carolina and a few others) are likely to benefit the most from this new revenue channel that stems from viewership. How much the Syracuse Orange will benefit remains to be seen.

In an article for ESPN, top ACC expert Andrea Adelson wrote in part that "Clemson has had the highest viewership in the ACC over the past six years while Florida State consistently ranks in the Top 4. Those are not the only two schools that stand to earn more money, though. Last season, for example, Georgia Tech led the ACC in viewership thanks in part to a Week 0 game against Florida State and a seven-overtime thriller against Georgia on the final Friday of the regular season. ... Basketball ratings will be included in the brand initiative, too, but at a smaller rate than football, which is responsible for about 75% of the league's TV revenue."

In late January of this year, word came out that ESPN had exercised an option to extend its media rights deal with the ACC and would continue airing league sports on its family of networks through the 2035-36 academic year.

At that time, analysts said this decision by ESPN would likely provide the ACC with more stability for years to come, even if this conference lags far behind the Big Ten and the SEC as it pertains to television revenue in football.

Added Phillips: "The league has competed at the highest level for more than 70 years and this new structure demonstrates the ACC embracing innovation and further incentivizing our membership based on competition and viewership results. The settlements, coupled with the ACC’s continued partnership with ESPN, allow us to focus on our collective future - including Clemson and Florida State - united in an 18-member conference demonstrating the best in intercollegiate athletics."