Conference Realignment: Florida State Thinking Big 12, Syracuse Thinking 'Whatever, Bro'

I don't know about you but I went into the weekend thinking this whole Florida State-to-the-Big-12 thing was done. And then, FSU Board of Trustees chair Andy Haggard opened his mouth.

"How do you not look into that option," asked Haggard. "On behalf of the Board of Trustees I can say that unanimously we would be in favor of seeing what the Big 12 might have to offer. We have to do what is in Florida State's best interest."

That was followed up with FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher saying in a roundabout way that he'd be for the move as well. Finally, school president Eric Barron denied all of that "misinformation," but did add, "Any university would examine options that would impact university academics, athletics or finances."

In other words, you see that smoke? There's fire over there as well.

Now, no one has even said if the Big 12 is even interested in the Seminoles and any other school that wold undoubtedly have to come over to keep numbers even (Louisville? Clemson? Cincinnati?). So this might all just be a lot of posturing from Florida State, who's really just pissed off cause they bring in more revenue than other ACC schools and basically want more money than them, disregarding everything you know about how a conference works.

So what should the Syracuse Orange think? Not even a playing member of the ACC yet, our impending arrival is part of what's causing all these shockwaves. Should we be concerned about the possibility that the conference's premiere football program (or perhaps two of them) could leave? Should we be worried about what this means for the stability of the ACC?

Honestly, no and no.

As far as we're concerned, we're in such a better position than we were that it doesn't really make a difference to us. What's the worst thing that happens? The Florida St. Seminoles and Clemson Tigers leave and they're replaced by the Connecticut Huskies and Rutgers Scarlet Knights. That might send chills down the backs of folks at Georgia Tech and NC State looking protect the ACC but it sounds fine to us.

Our road back to football respectability will have just gotten a whole lot easier and the conference won't have lost too much in terms of basketball. Yes, FSU won the conference last year but with the addition of Syracuse and a Pitt program that will be back after an anomaly this past year, the loss will be more than mitigated.

It's not like Syracuse and FSU have any kind of real rivalry to speak of so we're not going to miss anything on that front. The place where their departure might hurt us in on the recruiting front, where as we've seen, a lot of Georgia & Florida recruits are considering us cause they know we'll play some games down there.

So, while I recognize the conference as a whole is better with Florida State football in the mix, as a Syracuse fan, I'm not sweating it too much. FSU is going to chase the money and Syracuse certainly understands that. There may well come a time when the ACC will find itself in the same boat that the Big East does now, but that's not happening in the immediate future. For now, SU is in a better position either way.