Report: Clemson, Florida State want 'out of the ACC badly'

When the current game of realignment musical chairs ends, Clemson and Florida State hope they won't be in the ACC anymore, according to ESPN's Paul Finebaum.

In June, USC and UCLA shook the college sports landscape by announcing a move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. Since then, rumors have swirled about other potential conference swaps, including the Big 12 absorbing some of the remaining Pac-12 teams, the Big Ten continuing its expansion and the SEC poaching a few ACC schools to keep up.

Finebaum says however the dominoes fall, Clemson and Florida State hope it ends with a move to a more competitive conference.

"The ACC has no chance of competing with the Big Ten or the SEC without Notre Dame," Finebaum said during an appearance on the Mac Attack Podcast, via SI. "I think Clemson wants out of the ACC badly and so does Florida State. ... This is all predicated on Notre Dame, by the way. I think if Notre Dame stays an independent for now, probably nothing more happens, but I think things are going to happen. There's way too much activity going on."

Much of the college football world has reportedly been waiting for Notre Dame to make a decision about its future, with one report indicating that the university is leaning toward remaining independent. Notre Dame has competed as an independent for all but one season in its history, joining the ACC in 2020 due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Clemson won football national championships in the 2016 and 2018 seasons. Florida State won the BCS National Championship for the 2013 season.