Proposed amendment to college sports bill could spark new round of realignment
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Another round of college football realignment could be coming soon.
While the Protect College Sports Act contains provisions that would render conference realignment virtually impossible at the power-conference level, a new proposed amendment could open the door for a brief period where schools could move conferences.
According to Yahoo!’s Ross Dellenger, the amendment would allow schools to move leagues while avoiding the 5-year probationary period if they do so within 180 days of the Protect College Sports Act being enacted.
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This would presumably be significant news for the ACC, with schools like Florida State, Miami, Clemson and North Carolina potentially of interest to the SEC or Big Ten. FSU and Clemson in-particular reportedly had significant discussions about leaving the ACC in recent years.
The ACC’s Grant of Rights agreement runs through 2036 — several years beyond the current deals for the SEC and Big Ten. Realignment chatter has quieted over the last year, but could ramp up quickly if this bill and new amendment are signed into law.
The Big Ten currently stands at 18 teams while the SEC has a roster of 16 programs. It remains unclear whether either of those conferences would be interested in adding any current ACC programs to their portfolio.
The SEC and Big Ten previously announced their support for the Protect College Sports Act, though new amendments such as this one could complicate that endorsement before it heads to Congress.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
