They will be getting more acc money every year because it is now tied to tv viewers (a win for them as a result of the lawsuit drama). My chart below shows the past five years total conference and OOC viewership for ACC teams (only regular season, no bowls or playoffs). FSU is easily leading the pack.

FSU Branding value is over the top. So the assessed value versus debt can be resolved. (toungue in cheek) Bottomline, this is Florida, athletic governance depends on each state. And no floridian really cares if they win national championships Folks on the outside. ,. siimply not our affairs.. or should be.

fans who now live in the state? I guess you could even expand the territory to include southern AL and southern GA too.

the Big Ten, is Miami (including its fan base) more like Northwestern or USC? The answer to that question could give people an idea which way the Big Ten could go if it is going to choose between FSU and Miami. Now that assumes that FSU's fan base is more like Ohio State, Michigan, or Wisconsin than UCF, USF, FAU, or FIU.

to appease Big Ten alums, I'd bet more settle in South Florida than around Tallahassee. I don't really think the Big Ten wants either all that much anyway.

agree the alums are more likely to settle closer to Miami than Tallahassee. However, I was thinking Tallahassee is closer to Orlando, Tampa/St. Pete, and the Jacksonville part of the coast. Assuming the alums want to see their team play at FSU. Miami would have the advantage in the opportunity for visiting fans to attend the game because Hurricane fans don't show up to the games. That may be a non-factor given that FSU fans show up for home games and I think Miami is still going through with plans to build a 45K seat stadium on or very near to campus. A reason the Big Ten may want a member from FL is if the future media contracts still use the carriage fee to determine the contract's value.

Also think about where your fans would rather travel. Getting tix in Miami would also be a lot easier. ** Edited by reestuart at 2/6/2026, 2:25:43 PM

Miami. However, if the much smaller on campus stadium comes to fruition, then it may be a wash because tickets are next to impossible for both locations. Plus, FSU may have a slight advantage on TV percentage because a full Doak may look more impressive on TV than the much smaller Hurricane stadium. It will be interesting to see which way the Big Ten would go if presented the choice. I guess there is even an Option C where the Big Ten opts to add both schools for travel and scheduling purposes.

Big Ten was willing to add Nebraska even though they knew Nebraska was in the process of losing its AAU membership, Miam's AAU membership may not be the deciding factor. Particularly when the Big Ten considers public vs. private and potential viewership ceiling. There is a reason the Big Ten has limited its private school membership to just Northwestern and USC. In another post I raised the question on whether Miami and its fan base is more like Northwestern or USC. Given Miami's attendance history after moving to Hard Rock Stadium, an early conclusion would be that Miami may be more like Northwestern.

It seems a lot of schools incur a lot of debt for these athletic buildings. Notre Dame does athletic building projects differently and thus avoids this type of debt issue. Notre Dame’s stadium renovations, particularly the massive "Crossroads" stadium project in 2017, were almost entirely funded through private donations (largely from its extensive alumni network), alongside advance ticket payment options. The university typically requires 110% of construction costs to be pledged before breaking ground. Those athletic buildings do not get built otherwise. "The process of building new facilities is not considered lightly. Notre Dame has implemented a construction funding policy, under which buildings are primarily funded by contributions from benefactors, and therefore, the funding of new buildings does not impact tuition costs. The construction funding policy was created in 2000 by Malpass, Sejdinaj and Rev. Tim Scully, C.S.C., the former executive vice president of the university, and was approved by the board. “We have a little more of a conservative approach to finances, which is consistent with our roots and heritage. A little more pay as you go, a little less leverage,” Malpass says. “The construction funding policy is one of the things that I’m most proud of because it put us in great shape.” (Unrelated but reflective of ND's financial policies, it has flatly rejected the idea of private equity)

debt obligations through increased revenue. Colorado state expects to pay $30M to $41M a year through 2030. Is that all from increased revenue? Of course not, but instituional support goes a long way when major renovations are taken on. Things have changed in the last 10 years. Over $350M for the KU stadium is covered, as are the investments into the hotels and ammenities being built. A billionaire centerly helps, but with USF as an example, there are many ways to get funding. $500M in a recent PE deal at Utah will be interesting to see unfold. They have to crate value to get an ROI, so unless they get into the Big 10 or something, where else will they get their revenue? ** Edited by Big12 guy at 2/4/2026, 2:29:14 PM

"FSU isn’t “out of money.” It’s intentionally levered. Those are revenue bonds backed by future cash flows, not payday loans taken because payroll was missed. That’s how capital intensive organizations fund fixed assets." ** Edited by lord4bid at 2/4/2026, 1:05:46 PM

however, operating revenues used to service debt and/or pledged for debt service impacts the organization's flexibility to operate in a rapidly changing environment where rev share is a significant new component. I do not believe their AD Alford is the sharpest tool in the box and I doubt he truly has considered the financial implications. He is really just a mouthpiece for the boosters who placed him in the position and they will likely need their checkbooks to cover his financial misjudgements before all is said and done.

It is the Boosters at FSU who are a Direct Support Organization and the Athletic Department must be self sustaining in that no taxpayer state funds are used...Alford as AD isn't the financial guy...Seminole Boosters Inc are.

Leveraged or not. Financed with bonds or not. What is the cash flow of their athletic department? Can they service that debt adequately? Are the investments resulting in higher annual revenue, are there suites and luxury seats being sold? It doesn't seem like things are going well

More luxury boxes and club seats. Took down about 25K seats and rebuilt.

capacity has been reduced to less than 68,000. It used to be over 80,000 at one point. The huge football schools like Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, and Alabama all have stadiums seating more than 100,000. When it comes to stadium size, FSU is closer to VT than to PSU.

The capitol contributions (one-time requirement) and SIGNIFICANT RECURRING revenue for the Founders Suites (all but one sold), Loge Boxes (all sold), Westside Club seats (all sold), Champions Club seats (all sold), and West side chair back (60%ISH sold) + the $27M from the COT, will pay off Doak renovations over time. Founders Suites has five-years to pay off their one-time contributions ($64M), Westside Club seats had two-years ($22mISH), Champions Club and West sides seats also had two years.

not about capacity anymore. if it was, 100,000 seat NFL stadiums would be being built all over the place. No, give me a chair back seat, access to a bar and good food, and I'm all in. I'll see a game at VT, FSU, Florida, and many others on my bucket list (God willing). I'll be willing to pay the money for convenience (walkable from the hotel) and ammenities.

the past few years, I'm not sitting on bleachers again. We just got VT tix for the first time in forever, and we went club. Better seats and better access to restrooms and food/drink made it a no brainer.

Peeing in a trough might seem quaint, but for the over 40 crowd, modern, clean, Buccees grade bathrooms are a must when paying over $70 per ticket.

I live in the mountains of Western North Carolina...but have been to games in the Shoe (Ohio State), Notre Dame, Clemson (I am 90 miles away), LSU, Tennessee, VT, Va, Texas (I married into a Texan family)....While there is nothing like the atmosphere of a stadium, more folks may be like me...choosing to stay home and watch games on high quality big screens. The expenses for travelling, tickets, hotels that jack up game weekends prices etc have grown...we spend that money now in Italy, Spain, etc. I think that fans of a major football school must pay booster fees, travel costs, ticket costs and schools have moved to offer premium experiences to somewhat fewer fans....the days of bleacher seats for 80,000 and $50 tickets are in the past.

considers retirement, and even then, she may not, as she is too young and loves her job. She told me, if you want to go to the games and travel, do it now, becuase when she retires, she will not be attending any football games - and like you, the travel destinations change. Saw a few last year, and will chase my ass this year as well. Lane is scheduled in two years, as I'll be along the East Coast, and start North, and work my way South. It's expensive as all get out, so I'll avoid the top games.