Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast

Are Clemson and Florida State the only clear favorites to win the ACC? According to the ESPN SP+ model, and a conference preview by Bill Connelly, the Seminoles and Tigers combine for over a 51% chance to win the ACC. That leaves the rest of the field under 49%. FSU and Clemson have been the primary powers in recent years, but is this model too dismissive of what feels like a very open ACC? Clemso...

Is the ACC on course to become another version of the AAC (American Athletic Conference)? That’s what Kelvin Hunt, a writer from FSU blog Chop Chat said this week after the additions of SMU, Cal and Stanford into the conference. Florida State fans are bitter during this period where they are engaged in multiple lawsuits with the ACC in order to break the Grant of Rights and exit the conference onc...

Could Florida State officially declare their exit from the ACC this month? There have been hints dropped from college football reporters and analysts, including Josh Pate from 247Sports, that something big could happen this month within the ACC. Another CFB personality claims Florida State could make some sort of move on July 13th. But what can really happen this month? The ACC and FSU seem nowher...

Florida State University has fired back at the ACC after the conference filed an appeal in Florida earlier this month. FSU defended the ruling of Judge Cooper in Leon County, and referred to the ACC’s argument as “baseless.” We continue to see dueling lawsuits in North Carolina and Florida. It’s becoming more and more clear that we aren’t anywhere near a ruling or a settlement at this moment. FSU...

There are surprising recruiting trends in ACC football, as we’re just over five months away from National Signing Day for the Class of 2025. Can Georgia Tech and Duke stay in the top 20? Will Clemson finish with the best class in the ACC or will Miami get that for the third straight year? Will Florida State continue their momentum after beating Georgia for four star WR CJ Wiley? Can SMU surge up t...

Back in May, Florida State University asked the North Carolina supreme court to overrule Judge Bledsoe’s decision from the State Business Court. FSU wants the case only to be heard in Florida. The ACC issued a response late last week and explained why, in their view, the case must proceed in North Carolina. The current battle is being fought over venue and jurisdiction. Neither case in Florida or...

Do standout ACC quarterbacks like Cam Ward at Miami, Grayson McCall at NC State, Kyron Drones at Virginia Tech and Preston Stone at SMU have a legitimate shot to win the Heisman Trophy this year? In a new article on On3Sports, those four were listed, in order, as the top contenders within the ACC. The last ACC player to win the most prestigious individual award in college football was Lamar Jackso...

Florida State scored another legal victory against the ACC in Leon County (FL) court on Tuesday. Judge John C. Cooper denied the ACC’s motion to dismiss FSU’s lawsuit. Florida State’s trustees are suing the conference in an effort to leave the ACC by breaking the grant of rights. This denied motion to dismiss means the case will continue to be heard in Florida while a separate case, with the ACC s...

College Football analyst Josh Pate from 247Sports and CBS has hinted at something big happening soon with the ACC. Pate sent an X post with the GIF of the infamous cup of water in Jurassic Park with ACC as the caption. A commenter asked him if expansion was coming, to which he responded, “the league is about to do the opposite of that.” Is he implying that Florida State or Clemson are about to get...

Pro Football Focus considers Virginia Tech and SMU of the ACC to be two of the four most underrated college football teams for the 2024 season. People are starting to take notice of the Hokies, who return a higher percentage of their production than any other team in the ACC. Virginia Tech and SMU both have relatively easy strengths of schedules. Can Kyron Drones lead the Hokies to double digit wi...

Which ACC football players will grab first team all-conference honors in 2024? Phil Steele made predictions in his annual College Football Magazine. Miami leads the way with seven first teamers. Is Steele overly bullish on the Hurricanes? Quarterback Cam Ward, running back Damien Martinez and WR Xavier Restrepo are among Steele’s Miami choices.  Hosts Alex Donno and Kenton Gibbs break down the top...

The Tampa Bay Times has revealed which ACC schools did not attend the meeting to vote on suing Florida State University. Clemson and North Carolina abstained from attending the meeting, while Florida State was not invited due to the conflict of interest. The remaining ACC members, twelve of them, voted unanimously to take the lawsuit forward. The ACC was rushing to get their suit filed in North Ca...

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Clemson wants to speed things up in their legal battle against the ACC. According to the Post and Courier, Clemson has filed a motion for summary judgment in Pickens County, South Carolina. They are asking for a declaration for the judge that the conference only owns Clemson’s TV rights while they are in the ACC, not after they leave. This distinction would mark a difference of several hundred mil...

Are the SEC playing a risky game by reportedly passing on Florida State and Clemson? Brett McMurphy from Action Network said this week that he expects FSU and Clemson to eventually land in the Big Ten. He added that the SEC is not interested because they already have the Florida market with the Gators and the South Carolina market with the Gamecocks. But is it a smart move to allow the Big Ten and...

Are major college sports programs about to make a costly mistake by taking on private credit? SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey warned against the dangers this week, saying, “In my experience, those involved with private equity want to be paid back, so I would caution people around the notion of short term fixes.” Schools will soon be looking for cash infusions like this since they will be on the hook...

There are many bogus theories out there as to why the ACC would want to add the Utah Utes to their conference. People have been saying it would be a “desparation move” to try and keep FSU and Clemson happy and potentially drop their lawsuits. In reality, these situations can be mutually exclusive. If the ACC has a chance to add Utah, as is being reported, they could add one of the strongest colleg...

Could the ACC actually expand with a new member in the near future? New reports from Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News have linked the Utah Utes to the ACC. Utah is about to join the Big 12 but reportedly could be enticed by the ACC’s ESPN network affiliation. Other rumored candidates for the conference are USF, San Diego State and Oregon State. The ACC just had a record revenue increase this...

Is there a fatal flaw in the approved House vs. NCAA antitrust settlement? The NCAA has approved this multi-billion dollar settlement which will also include revenue sharing with college athletes starting as soon as 2025. Part of the settlement's aim is to protect the NCAA from all future antitrust suits. However, the plaintiff lawyers in the Fontenot vs. NCAA antitrust case are resisting and figh...

The lawsuit between the ACC and Florida State University in North Carolina is moving more slowly than the suit in Florida. Does this give FSU a big advantage? If FSU can get closer to a verdict in their “home” venue at the Sunshine State, it could set a powerful precedent for the ACC’s home in North Carolina. In the latest update in NC, the ACC has asked for a 20 day extension on responding to FSU...

FSU Athletic director Michael Alford revealed the moment he realized Florida State was going to be snubbed from the four team College Football Playoff last season. When he realized ESPN had sent a less notable reporter to cover their event than the one he sent to Alabama, he felt something bad was about to happen. Florida State continues their quest in court to break the ACC’s Grant of Rights. Sem...

Dabo Swinney talked to Sirius XM radio about his Transfer Portal philosophy. Swinney has not taken in any transfer players for the Clemson Tigers. “I mean, it’s really pretty simple. Most of the guys in the portal aren’t good enough to play for us. That’s just the reality of it.” Swinney is sending a loud and clear message to his current players and recruits that he will not dip into the portal to...

Former FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher has warned the ACC and Big 12 that they are becoming “glorified minor leagues” or mid-majors in the new college football landscape. Fisher, who won a national championship at Florida State in 2013, discusses how difficult it will be for ACC programs to keep their top players for four years now that it is so easy for SEC and Big Ten schools to pluck their best pla...

The ACC’s public perception has never been lower than it is right now. Clemson and FSU are suing the conference in hopes of breaking the Grant of Rights. A UNC trustee spoke openly about advocating for the Tar Heels to find a home in the Power Two. Florida State was kept out of the College Football Playoff last season despite going 13-0 with a conference championship. Is it too late for the ACC to...

A source told Brett McMurphy from Action Network that the ACC has “no incentive to settle” with Florida State and Clemson in court. They added, “less than zero percent.” Clemson and FSU are suing the league in an effort to break the Grant of Rights and leave the conference. Will ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and conference lawyers be able to keep the fight going and hold them off in court? Hosts A...