As John Stathas wrote earlier on Monday here at SB Nation Dallas, college sports is all about money. And according to Jim Lamar of USA Today, the ACC should be very worried about Florida State headed to the Big 12.
Why? Quite simply, the Big 12 has money -- or at least, much more money than the ACC has.
Start first with the obvious: The Big 12 has money right now that the ACC doesn't.
Oklahoma State President Burns Hargis announced last Friday that the Big 12 agreed to distribute $19 million to eight of its members to close out the 2011-12 fiscal year. Departing members Missouri and Texas A&M did not receive payouts; neither did incoming members TCU and West Virginia.
That's $4.9 million that Florida State's athletics department - heck, Florida State's entire campus - sorely needs right now.
For the duration of the Big 12 meetings, interim commissioner Chuck Neinas, along with the conference's athletic directors, downplayed the idea of expansion this year, saying that the conference members are committed to its 10 teams.
If the current schools do believe that they'd be best off expanding, then it looks like they'll have at least two schools, both from the ACC, chomping at the bit to join the Big 12, as the Clemson Board of Trustees said they would be open to offers from other conferences, and Florida State looking like they'd go after the biggest pay day.
As we've said over and over here at SB Nation Dallas, we'll know much more after the college football playoff system becomes more clear at the end of June. Until then, we're likely going to be subject to lots of speculation.
For the latest on Big 12 expansion, be sure to check back here at SB Nation Dallas all summer long.