CLEMSON — The next year in Clemson could be the biggest for the athletic department in quite some time.

How long?

Maybe in 70 years.

Of course, that was the last time Clemson had to change conference affiliations. I am not saying that is exactly what Clemson is going to do in the next year, but let’s be honest, those conversations are out there.

However, this time around for Clemson is a little different than it was in 1953. In 1953, Clemson was one of the seven charter members that formed the Atlantic Coast Conference. Clemson, along with Maryland, Duke, North Carolina, South Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest started the league.

In fact, the idea of the ACC was conceived when Southern Conference presidents voted not to allow their schools to play in postseason games. The SoCon presidents were quoted as saying they did not want their conference to become known as a football conference, which was the reason for their vote against postseason football.

Clemson, of course, had none of it. After a number of meetings between governing bodies of the college and athletic department, the decision was made to defy the Southern Conference and accept a bid to a bowl game.

The Gator Bowl extended Clemson an offer to play in their game against Miami. The Tigers and Hurricanes had just played the year before in a thrilling 15-14 Clemson victory in the 1951 Orange Bowl. At the same time, Maryland had accepted a bid to play Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl.

The Southern Conference was angry, especially Commissioner Wallace Wade. He wanted Clemson and Maryland expelled. He said Clemson and Maryland violated the conference’s bylaws by refusing to go by the league’s vote.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Clemson and Maryland were ultimately punished by the Southern Conference after the bowl season. The two were denied permission to play any conference games, except against one another. However, there was one other exception, legally required games against conference opponents could be played.

With that said, the South Carolina General Assembly passed a law or resolution requiring that Clemson and South Carolina must play on Big Thursday in 1952 so they could continue their series unbroken.

By the end of the 1952 football season, talk had already begun about forming a new conference. At the Southern Conference’s annual spring meetings in May of 1953, seven schools—Clemson, Duke, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, South Carolina and Wake Forest—withdrew from the Southern Conference.

A month later, those same seven schools met in Raleigh, N.C., and named South Carolina President Dr. James T. Penney as the first conference commissioner. The ACC was born.

The ACC has been Clemson’s home ever since, but that is in jeopardy now.

Florida State, who joined the ACC in 1992, decided to sue the league on Friday and challenge the league’s grant of rights and $130 million withdrawal fee.

Is history repeating itself?

Could Clemson join FSU and move to another conference?

Sources told The Clemson Insider that Clemson is not locked in arms with Florida State, despite the two working close together. Clemson and Florida State share a lot of the same goals, but the approaches have been very different.

Clemson’s plan is to continue to operate behind the scenes. It’s a different tact than FSU’s, who has been open and transparent from the beginning. Although the Tigers have not been as active publicly, they have been communicating frequently with all of the parties involved and are prepared to do what it is their long-term interest if the right opportunity comes along.

According to ESPN’s Andrea Adelson, FSU’s 38-page lawsuit “seeks a declaratory judgment against the ACC to void the grant of rights and withdrawal fee as ‘unreasonable restraints of trade in the state of Florida and not enforceable in their entirety against Florida State.’”

FSU has been very open about their concerns regarding revenue distribution from the ACC and the possibility of leaving the conference. The school is upset about how ACC’s school are locked into a situation that will not allow the league to renegotiate for more television revenue while the SEC and Big Ten continue to sign new deals which will allow their member institutions to make as much as $30 million more than ACC’s schools.

In the spring, the ACC hoped to alleviate some of FSU’s ill will towards the conference by adopting success initiatives to reward schools for performances in football and men’s and women’s basketball. However, FSU pushed for more money to be given to the league’s popular brands based on the value they bring to the conference.

Though Clemson has not said much publicly, this writer can tell you Clemson feels the same way as FSU in a lot of ways.

With the ACC counter suing FSU in North Carolina, it seems like it is going to be a while before there is any clarity in the matter. However, I can write this, 2024 might be the biggest year in Clemson Athletics in 70 years and it is something Clemson fans need to pay attention to.

The landscape of college athletics continues to change with every passing day. Some of it is good and some of it is bad. With the transfer portal, NIL, large television contracts and conference realignment, the only certainty in college athletics is that there is no certainty.

The way you know Clemson Athletics today, and in particular Clemson Football, is changing, and the quicker Clemson gets on board the better.

To honor Clemson’s special senior class Dear Old Clemson is selling footballs signed by 7 of Clemson’s Avengers for only $100.  These limited edition footballs are signed by Thomas, Orhorhoro, Davis, Mascoll, Henry, Murphy and Williams.  Get one while supplies last.