FSU president: Talk of move to the SEC unfounded

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (AP) - Florida State University President Eric Barron said Friday he’s heard the rumors that the Seminoles are moving to the Southeastern Conference and said that’s all they are at the moment _ rumors.

But Barron also didn’t say never, referring to the reports as “quite fascinating.”

“I don’t think there is anything to talk about right now,” Barron said. “I don’t speculate when there’s no conversation.”

Florida State has largely dominated the Atlantic Coast Conference in football since joining the conference two decades ago, winning a dozen league titles and two national championships since.

ACC Commissioner John Swofford said Friday he’s heard nothing from any of the conference schools being contacted by other leagues.

“We’ll continue to be mindful of the collegiate landscape and what’s best for the ACC and its member institutions,” Swofford said i a statement from his office. “With that said, I’ve received no indication from any of our 12 presidents that they have any intention of being affiliated with any conference other than the ACC.”

Barron said he’s not had any talks about Florida State bolting the ACC, calling it “a good conference.”

Florida State athletic director Randy Spetman was out of town and unavailable to comment on the reports.

SEC spokesman Charles Bloom declined to comment on expansion rumors swirling around Texas A&M and Florida State.

“There’s no offer on the table,” Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher said after practice on Friday. “I have not spoken to anybody about it. We love the ACC. We love the conference we’re in.”

University of Florida President Bernie Machen and athletic director Jeremy Foley also declined comment, school spokesman Steve Orlando said.

The latest brouhaha over potential conference realignment was ignited by Texas A&M’s unhappiness with archrival Texas’ powerful position in the 10-team Big XII Conference. During the last big shuffling of conferences, the Aggies were pursued by the SEC and reportedly were close to switching.

Colorado left for the Pacific-12 Conference and Nebraska moved to the Big Ten, ending its long-standing rivalry with Oklahoma.

Although wooed by the SEC more than 20 years ago, Florida State became the ninth member of the ACC when it formally joined the league on 1, 1991, beginning its football membership in the 1992 season. The conference is now comprised to a dozen teams with the addition of Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004.

Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest were charter members in 1953 with Virginia coming into the league later that year followed by Georgia Tech in 1978 and Florida State in 1991.

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