To leave the ACC, Florida State football faces a penalty it originally agreed to
You all know by now about Florida State's legal suit against the ACC alleging the conference has mismanaged its members' media rights and is imposing "draconian" exit fees. The university estimates it would cost $572 million to leave. It is well known Florida State wants out but it was one of the schools that originally approved and signed the agreement. Don't you think Florida State’s lawyers advised them of the terms and conditions in the agreement before it was executed?
The language containing those prohibitive penalties for leaving earlier than 2036 was intentionally included because the league members wanted to display commitment and unity for the duration. So much for that. Now, with revenues not growing in comparison to the SEC and the Big 10, the realization that the ACC is a basketball league is finally sinking in. The coup de grace was an undefeated FSU team (13-0) that became ACC champions and went on to become the first-ever Power Five undefeated champion not to be invited to the College Football Playoff. Lots of people remain upset about that. Coach Prime, who played at FSU, said if he were FSU's coach, the Seminoles would have been chosen. We'll never know about that but the point he was making is that name recognition and politics matter and he's spot on. FSU simply wants out of a "bad deal" to join another conference but the cost is too much to swallow, which is exactly the reason that provision was created in the first place. So on substance and from one lawyer to another, fuhgeddaboudit!
But the reality is this case is not about ultimately “winning” by having a court declare the agreement null and void. In fact, FSU's best argument is that the league breached its fiduciary duty by expanding to the west with Stanford, Cal and SMU, all schools that bring little value to the league and further diminish the value of its "brand." That, at least, has some substance to it. What this is solely about is laying an adversarial foundation for the ultimate Seminole exit. It's only about how much money is paid and when. The next question is who else is leaving? Clemson? North Carolina, Miami? Is this a prelude to the end of the ACC as we know it? The smart bettor says yes.
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Infractions? Michigan still shows Harbaugh the money
Michigan's Jim Harbaugh almost got fired three years ago. This year, he was suspended for six games and now Michigan is under investigation by the NCAA for serious recruiting violations on his watch. All of that and he apparently has a $125-million contract on the table to make him the highest-paid coach in the land. Why? First, the Wolverines are winning no,w and second, because Michigan is afraid of losing him to the NFL. In a nutshell, Michigan is trapped and has no leverage.
Is Caleb Williams just a system QB?
USC defeated Louisville, 42-28, in the Holiday Bowl with backup Miller Moss throwing six TD passes. The performance had many labeling Caleb Williams — who sat out and is projected to be the No. 1 quarterback in the NFL Draft — one of coach Lincoln Riley's "system quarterbacks." While you can argue about Williiams' maturity, you cannot ignore his talent.
Mayo Bowl was a tasty affair
My favorite bowl so far was Duke's Mayo Bowl. The game, between North Carolina and West Virginia, is known as "the only game with a Twang." Literally throughout the game, ESPN decided it was more important to see what Duke's Mayonnaise could be eaten with. There were nachos, fries and of course, straight chugging. The announcers even got into the act, tasting different flavors of mayonnaise. My favorite was when the Crispy Cream donuts were combined with the mayonnaise. What imagination and creativity. In its third year of existence, Mayo Bowl winning coach Neal Brown of the Mountaineers was doused with gallons of the mayonnaise (known as the MAYO DUMP) at game's end (30-10 West Virginia victory). You can't make this up. Can you imagine St. Nick participating?
Here's my CFP bowl picks
There's the big New Year's Six Bowls but is anyone interested in the four non-CFP games? Yup, that No. 18 Liberty-No. 8 Oregon Fiesta Bowl game is one I cannot miss. So we'll ignore the ones that have no significance and examine the College Football Playoff semifinals.
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No. 2 Washington (13-0) +4 vs. No. 3 Texas (12-1): The Rose Bowl. The Longhorns are back on the national stage. Coach Steve Sarkisian, in his third year, has led Texas to the Big 12 championship and in the CFP for the first time. Sarkisian is a master play-caller. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers completed over 70 percent of his passes with 73 going to receiver Xavier Worthy for 969 yards. Worthy originally signed with Michigan out of high school but never enrolled due to academics. Texas swooped in and if Worthy is a difference-maker, somebody may want to talk to the Michigan admissions office. Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. competed 75% of his passes for 4,128 yards, mostly to all-American Rome Odunze, who had 81 catches for 1,428 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Huskies also have explosive receivers in Ja'Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan. Penix, who finished second in the Heisman voting, has struggled at times this season. If he's pressured, he has shown some uncertainty. The Huskies need to pressure Ewers and protect Penix. Huge challenges. Texas usually keeps it interesting. This game will be a shootout. Take the points. It may be an outright Washington victory.
No. 4 Alabama (12-1) -1 vs. No. 1 Michigan (13-0): The Sugar Bowl. No surprise the Tide are here again after losing opening night to Texas, 34-24. Tide dual-threat quarterback Jalen Milroe, who has thrown just 302 passes (122nd nationally) with only six interceptions, has been a work in progress and so has his offensive line, which has allowed 43 sacks. He will need to connect with speedster Jermaine Burton, who averages over 22 yards per catch. The Tide are playing with house money after their miraculous last-second victory over Auburn and unexpectedly defeating Georgia for the SEC championship. Michigan has an experienced quarterback in J.J. McCarthy and an elite runner in Blake Corum (24 rushing touchdowns). This game will be won in the trenches. Michigan coach Harbaugh likes to control the ball. The Wolverines' only close call all year was against Ohio State (30-24). Neither team turns the ball over much. Expect this game to be played conservatively, with both teams asking their defenses to stop the opposing offense. This is Michigan's third straight CFP berth, losing the last two. If it comes down to a field goal, Michigan's the choice based on 'Bama's history. The biggest factor, though, is that when St. Nick has time to prepare for a game, he's very tough to beat. Tide rolls!
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Leaving ACC could cost Florida State football $572 million, CFP picks
