Report: FSU in "Magnificent 7" group exploring way out of ACC GoR agreement

Before ACC Spring Meetings even officially begin Monday, conference drama has begun to spread.

Sports Illustrated and Action Network reported Monday morning that ACC programs FSU, Clemson, Miami, UNC, NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech have formed a group called "The Magnificent 7," which has met multiple times over the last few months to determine exactly how unbreakable the ACC's Grant of Rights agreement is.

As things stand, the ACC has each of its 14 member organizations locked into a GoR agreement through 2036, which will have schools in the conference making as much as $30 million less than SEC and Big Ten programs in annual television revenue within the next few years.

FSU director of athletics Michael Alford vehemently lobbied to the FSU Board of Trustees in February about the need for the creation of a new revenue-sharing model that more heavily rewards the athletic departments that are the bigger brands who have larger television audiences for their games. Clemson AD Graham Neff has also spoken up about this possibility.

This report, while not yet confirmed by any administrator in attendance at ACC Spring Meetings in Amelia Island, confirms that the group which could be looking for a way out of the ACC is larger than previously shared publicly.

This is also the first report of a public pursuit of a path out of the GoR agreement for ACC programs, something that has been speculated but not publicly reported since the SEC and Big Ten announced pending television deals that will pay their schools upwards of $70 million annually while the ACC reported $36.1 million per school for the 2020-21 fiscal year.

The Osceola arrived in Amelia Island Monday afternoon. However, all of the ADs declined comment coming out of Monday's meetings at 7:05 p.m., citing they would talk Tuesday.