FSU, ACC Tell Court They Didn't Resolve Dispute over Potential Exit After Mediation

Florida State and the ACC still haven't resolved anything regarding the school's potential exit from the conference.

Pete Nakos of On3 reported Thursday the two sides met for mediation on Aug. 13 but were unable to come to terms on a settlement. As a result, they filed a joint notice of mediation compliance in Leon County Court that said they will "continue discussions."

Nakos explained that Florida State wants to leave the ACC without paying the cost of buying out the remaining media rights or paying an exit fee. That is a significant ask, as attorneys estimated those costs could come in around $500 million.

Florida State isn't alone in its interest in leaving the conference, as Nakos noted this is just one of four ongoing lawsuits involving the ACC.

Those lawsuits are the ACC vs. Clemson, the ACC vs. Florida State, Clemson vs. the ACC and Florida State vs. the ACC.

"Listen, it's disappointing we're in this place," ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said on SportsCenter on Tuesday (h/t Nakos).

"It's a harmful situation. But we're going to do just that. We're going to fight. And that's the way it should be. When you sign an agreement twice—willingly sign—that you are part of a group that comes together and decides this is what you want to do for the next 20 years, you should be held accountable for that. That being said, we will compartmentalize that piece of it and we will go into the football season."

There will be some compartmentalizing occurring on the other side as well considering Florida State is set to begin its season on Saturday against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. The Seminoles have realistic College Football Playoff aspirations this season and will want to start off strong.

Florida State is looking to leave the conference at a time of unprecedented realignment.

Texas and Oklahoma joined the SEC, while Oregon, USC, Washington and UCLA joined the Big Ten this offseason. What's more, Stanford, Cal and SMU moved to the ACC, while Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Arizona State are joining the Big 12.

The Pac-12 is down to just Oregon State and Washington State with a perilous future.

That a powerhouse program like Florida State wants to leave when all signs are pointing toward the SEC and Big Ten separating themselves as the two premier conferences comes as no surprise. The undefeated Seminoles were left out of last year's CFP and watched one-loss Texas and Alabama teams make the field instead.

Financial implications are also surely playing a role, as the Big Ten and SEC generate more money than the other conferences in a time when name, image and likeness deals are quite important.

For now, Florida State is still a member of the ACC. But it will continue to discuss a potential exit with the season approaching.