4 thoughts going into ACC Football Kickoff: Jim Phillips, Travis, FSU future in conference

The annual tradition of conferences hosting a media day for coaches and players to address the coming football season before training camps open continues this week for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Head coach Mike Norvell, quarterback Jordan Travis, defensive end Jared Verse and linebacker Kalen DeLoach will represent FSU at the 2023 ACC Football Kickoff, July 25-27, at The Westin Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Seminoles, coming off a 10-win season and Cheez-It Bowl victory, enter the season as favorites in the conference and are strong College Football Playoff Contenders with a ton of returning talent, led by Travis and Verse.

FSU kicks off its season at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 3 against the LSU Tigers at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. That matchup could likely be a top-10 battle with major implications later in the season.

The Democrat will be live at the meetings Tuesday and Wednesday.

Here are four questions heading into the meetings.

How to watch: Florida A&M, Florida State football ready for conference media days

Jim Phillips and Northwestern connection

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips is scheduled to address the media at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Phillips is likely to talk about the conference's future, a hot topic in college football.

But he will also have to answer questions about his past. Phillips was Northwestern's athletic director from 2008 to 2021 before taking the commissioner role. The school has been under severe scrutiny following an investigation of a hazing scandal that led to the firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald after 17 seasons.

Phillips has vowed to “vigorously defend” himself in any litigation related to the ongoing hazing scandal at Northwestern, in which he finds himself involved.

He, along with Fitzgerald, Phillips, NU's board of trustees, university president Michael Schill, current athletic director Derrick Gragg and former university president Morton Schapiro are listed as defendants.

“This has been a difficult time for the Northwestern University community, a place that my entire family called home. Over my thirty-year career in intercollegiate athletics, my highest priority has always been the health and safety of all student-athletes. Hazing is completely unacceptable anywhere, and my heart goes out to anyone who carries the burden of having been mistreated,” Phillips said in a statement last week.

“Any allegation that I ever condoned or tolerated inappropriate conduct against student-athletes is absolutely false. I will vigorously defend myself against any suggestion to the contrary.”

FSU landed NU freshman linebacker Justin Cryer in the transfer portal Monday.

Following the hazing scandal, any NU football player is permitted to enter the Transfer Portal and granted immediate eligibility at their next school, per NCAA rules.

FSU's future in the ACC?

This has been the biggest topic surrounding FSU this off-season.

While Athletics Director Michael Alford has been gunning for a new revenue distribution model that rewards schools that bring the league a greater share of the wealth, he stated at the ACC spring meetings his preference is to stay in the ACC.

Alford said he fears the ACC is in danger of falling behind both the SEC and Big Ten in revenue by about $30 million per year when their respective new television contracts start (Big Ten in 2023, SEC in 2024).

The ACC and ESPN agreed to a 20-year media rights deal through 2035-36. The conference also extended its grant-of-rights deal for nine additional years, taking that through 2035-36.

Earlier this month, the CW Network announced it has secured exclusive broadcast rights to 50 ACC college football and basketball games each season through 2026-27.

The CW acquired the rights to these live ACC football and basketball games from Raycom Sports, which sublicenses the rights from ESPN. The deal isn't a financial windfall for the ACC, but it does help provide stability. It's important that the league not risk any lost media rights revenue.

Don't expect any sort of major resolution on this matter this week, but it will remain a topic that is broached to the commissioner and the coaches.

Is Florida State the main show of the ACC again?

Sept. 23 is going to be a huge day for the ACC, as FSU and Clemson will face off in Death Valley for a game that could determine the regular season conference championship.

The Seminoles have not beaten Clemson since 2014 and their last win on the road against the rivals was in 2013.

While it is not imperative for FSU to win the regular season championship over Clemson to achieve its goal of contending for the National Championships, it would be further proof that the program is back to its glory days heading into Year 4 under Norvell.

Outside of 2021 when Pittsburgh won the ACC, the Tigers have won every year since 2014, the last time FSU won the conference.

Jordan Travis Heisman hype building

The redshirt senior from West Palm Beach, Florida is building preseason hype for the Heisman Trophy, seeking to become the fourth player in FSU history to win the honors.

Travis is seeking to join former Seminole greats Charlie Ward (1993) Chris Weinke (2000) and Jameis Winston (2013), to win the honors. FSU has already kicked off a campaign in support of Travis.

Last season, Travis led all QBs with an overall Pro Football Focus offensive grade of 91.8 and finished with career-highs in completion percentage (64%), yards (3,214) and touchdowns (24) while throwing five interceptions. He also added 417 yards and seven TDs on the ground.

North Carolina's Drake Maye is seen as one of the top QBs in the country and will be Travis' main competition for the All-ACC preseason first-team honors.

The All-ACC squads are scheduled to be released a week after ACC Football Kickoff.

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: Questions needing answers at of ACC Football Kickoff