UNC's Cunningham: Florida State's 'barking' not good for ACC

By Brian Murphy, WRAL

Florida State's latest public venting about the ACC's media rights agreement caught the attention of at least one conference athletic director.

And not in a good way.

Florida State's president and trustees said Wednesday during a public meeting that the school must look at leaving the ACC unless revenue distribution changes dramatically. Some suggested the school leave the conference as soon as 2024 or 2025, presumably to join the SEC and Big Ten, leagues that generate much more annual revenue.

There was no mention Wednesday of the ACC's lengthy grant of rights, which hands control of each school's media rights to the conference through 2036.

"I don't think it’s good for our league for them (Florida State) to be out there barking like that," North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said Thursday during a radio interview on The Adam Gold Show on 99.9 The Fan.

"I’d rather see them be a good member of the league, support the league and if they have to make a decision, then so be it. Pay for the exit fee, wait for your grant of rights that you’ve given and then in 2036 when those rights return to you, do whatever you want."

UNC and Florida State were among the so-called "Magnificent Seven" schools in the ACC that met to explore their options around the grant of rights. The Big Ten and SEC could soon be distributing $30 million more per school each year, a gap that Florida State has called "insurmountable."

"Everyone would like to have more money and everyone would like to win more," Cunningham said during the 20-minute interview. "I don't think you have to have the most money to win the most games, and I think we've demonstrated that over the years."

Cunningham pointed to the nine national titles won by the conference in the 2022-23 academic year, the most in the nation. He also cited football national titles won by Clemson in 2016 and 2018 and Florida State in 2013.

"If they want to leave, then that’s going to be their choice," Cunningham said. "But there’s certain obligations that they do have. We have an exit fee and we have a grant of rights."

Cunningham did not give a figure on what that could cost, though the exit fee is reportedly $120 million. The grant of rights would likely require a lengthy court battle and could run close to $400 million or more.

"When you have a general counsel and the university president and the board of trustees says I'm a member of this conference and you sign a document that says I'm granting my rights to you and you have my authority to go negotiate my rights to a network and the league does that on your behalf, I'm not sure how you can just say, 'Just kidding. I didn't like the deal that was struck and now I want to get out of it,'" Cunningham said.

"Any contract, it obligates you to what you agreed to on the front end. So I'm scratching my head, wondering what are you talking about."

North Carolina is considered one of the ACC's top brands due to its name recognition, basketball program, academic reputation and status as a flagship university in growing, populous state that would be new territory for the Big Ten or SEC. The Tar Heels are a charter member of the ACC, their athletic conference home since 1953.

But Cunningham stopped short of staying UNC would remain in the league forever.

At least four of the Power 5 conferences are engaged in some aspect of conference realignment at the moment with the Pac-12 seeking to survive, the Big 12 and, possibly, Big Ten looking to expand and the ACC dealing with disgruntled schools.

"A lot of schools, a lot of individuals are going to have to make decisions about what their future looks like," he said. "I don't see this configuration lasting in perpetuity."

Cunningham said he thought that UNC, NC State and Duke, ACC rivals, would continue to play each other -- no matter what happens down the line.

"Do I think that the Triangle schools will play each other somewhat in perpetuity? Yes, I believe in that," he said. "Are we going to be labeled something else? Possibly. But I do think that we're going to continue to play each other. We're too close, we have too much in common and we have a lot of the same sports."

UNC and NC State, state schools in the same university system, have been in the same conference since 1907. Legislative leaders told WRAL on Thursday that it would be hard for the schools to separate as other in-state rivals have during the latest rounds of conference realignment.

"I really think Carolina and State ought to be in the same conference," said House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland. "I really think they ought to do that. And I think you’d have a lot of resistance to seeing them split off in different conferences."

Said Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham: "There is something about the rivalries that exist that i think would be damaged if we have the larger schools within North Carolina in different conferences. I would not like to see that happen. Whether or not that’s something that would be appropriate for the legislature to step in or not, I have not really thought about it that way."