Tallahassee reporter drops hint FSU won't end up in the ACC or SEC

Ex-publisher of The Tallahassee Democrat Skip Foster believes ESPN's recent disparaging of the FSU brand could be a sign that neither of its conference partners, the ACC or the SEC, will retain/gain the Noles during the next round of conference realignment.

"Silver lining for Noles fans -- the more likely it is that FSU is leaving the ESPN world, the more likely it is the network disparages the brand," Foster prefaced before saying, "It's a quite routine biz strategy: If you are losing a resource (employee/account/etc.), esp. to a competitor, diminish its value."

Foster was referring to Paul Finebaum's statement on Florida State where he claimed the Noles wouldn't be ranked by the end of the 2024 season.

"I think they used up too many tears crying about not getting in the playoffs. That may slow them down a little bit," Finebaum said of the Noles' chances of finishing the season as an unranked team (h/t Chop Chat).

FSU and Clemson the biggest conference realignment unknowns

Every single possible rumor has been shared about where FSU could go next. The Noles are working on AAU accreditation, which could indicate Big Ten interest. The Big 12's private equity money has also been rumored to be a potential factor in where FSU could land.

The rumor that Foster's statement immediately rebukes is Big 12 expert Christopher Lambert's claim that ESPN won't let FSU and Clemson escape the ESPN umbrella (ACC, SEC).

247Sports' Bud Elliott introduced the idea that Finebaum is trying to lessen FSU and Clemson's values before losing them.

A Tallahassee reporter saying it certainly makes it a lot more real.