Comments from FSU AD Michael Alford after the ACC Spring Meetings
Florida State Athletic Director Michael Alford was in a good mood when he addressed the media following long days of consequential meetings at the Atlantic Coast Conference Spring Meetings, sessions that involved the House Settlement and the new ACC Success Initiatives but nothing brought a broader smile to his face than when asked about the football stadium and operations building progress.
Alford proudly announced that the football stadium will be completed well before the grand opening against Alabama, which officially will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on August 30.
“It’s coming great. The stadium will be done in July,” Alford said. “We are going to have events in August opening it up, maybe a practice or two. We’re going to bring people in who have purchased seats in the bowl. We’re really looking forward to it. Having taken some people through it, they are just blown away at it. Nebraska has been in. The Texans have been in. Penn State has been in. There’s been a bunch of schools come in just to see the uniqueness of it with the sightline, premium and different fan experiences to look at how we were putting everything together. Real excited about it.”
Alford is also looking forward to hosting some preseason events in the new 150,000-square-foot Dunlap Football Operations Facility.
“On target as well. Will be done in August,” he reported. “The team won’t move in until the bye week (September 13), don’t want to disrupt practice. But that’s also a good thing because it will give us the opportunity to do some events in it, get people through the facility to see it prior to the team moving in,” he said.
“It's going to be the best in the country.”
“We’ve been able to fly around the country to NFL and some collegiate facilities to take the best of best and then expand it,” he said of the 150,000 square foot facility dedicated to football. “There's nothing else in there (but football).”
Alford said the size of the project is impressive to those who have toured it.
“Just the hallways. How wide the hallways are, how impressive they are,” Alford said. “The (therapy) pool areas. We're keeping it just football and student athlete experience, no training table or anything crazy within that space, just football. So really excited about that and the difference it is going to make for our student-athletes.
And while the Dunlap football operations facility creates a massive, dedicated space for football, the project also frees up a great deal of space in the Moore Athletics Center, once occupied by football, for the benefit of other FSU sports
The two biggest questions heading into these Spring ACC meetings for FSU were regarding planning for the pending House Settlement and FSU’s new relationship with the ACC since that lawsuit was settled.
House Settlement
Alford said the day-long sessions were very detailed in regards to what happens if the House vs NCAA Case settles as well as what if it does not.
“Constantly talking and getting updates from our legal counsel,” Alford said of the months long process. “What’s in the briefs. What the next steps will be, so I would say that’s a weekly discussion we’re having.”
FSU is also internally monitoring and preparing so that when it passes FSU can hit the ground running.
“There’s been a lot of preparation done prior to this,” he said,, of the discussions. “And there’s a lot of different scenarios if it doesn’t pass. Then what are we going to do? I have three different budgets I’m prepared to activate depending on where we go.”
Alford was asked about Nick Saban and President Donald Trump’s interest in the House Settlement and the status of collegiate athletics.
“I was made very aware that Tony Campbell (vice chair with Nick Saban) had been there a couple of days before me and was made aware that the President was very on top of it,” Alford said of his recent visit to the West Wing of the White House. “He understands it, and that's exciting that he understands it, and the White House understands the issues, so we'll see how this plays out, either way.”
Alford was asked a question about the eagerness of the SEC and the Big 10 to be involved in trying to set the rules and structure of college football.
“From hearing in that room, Jim (Phillips) has been very vocal in his support and fighting for our conference moving forward. I believe in him and believe he will fight for us and put us in a great spot to have success in the future.”
FSU’s relationship with the ACC post settlement
“We’ve always had a great relationship. I always go back, you’ve heard me, since we started this, Jim and I always communicated, always communicated with our thoughts, communicated our feelings about the direction of the ACC. I’ll continue to communicate about the direction of the ACC but we’re really excited to put this behind us. We have a path going forward. We have a path to really look at how we control the conference together. How we expand on great brands that are in this conference and really promote the ACC and especially ACC football moving forward. Give it it’s day in the sun. So excited about the future. Communication was always there, and it continues to be a great relationship."
Clemson vs ND builds the ACC brand
Alford views the recent long-term contract signed by Clemson and Notre Dame as a brand-builder that will help the ACC.
While FSU already had more games scheduled with Notre Dame than any other ACC school, Alford sees this as an opportunity for FSU to schedule even more out of conference games with ND.
“Yeah, the great relationship we have with both those institutions," he said. "Fully aware of the conversations going on between those great institutions.”
Alford views Notre Dame much like Florida State’s Miami.
“I kind of viewed it as Clemson's Miami game every year,” Alford said. “While Clemson has had its annual rivalry game with South Carolina, like Florida State has with Florida, the Tigers didn’t have a second rivalry game like FSU has with Miami. They didn’t have that second game.”
Alford said he’s in talks with Notre Dame about playing more often.
“I’m very vocal about brands on brands helps this league. Brands on brands grow this league. Brands on brands helps this league, promote itself,” Alford said. “So I'm always been saying best brands need to play best brands. I want to play Virginia Tech more. I want to play Virginia more. That’s something we’re in constant communication to the league about our feelings.”
“Clemson and Notre Dame played sometimes through our regular (ACC) scheduling format within that but the years they didn't play is when they went and supplemented the games,” Alford said.
Alford said those Clemson-Notre Dame games will help Clemson’s television ratings and thus augment their share of the ACC’s new success initiative based on ratings.
“In terms of the revenue share on television ratings, that helps,” Alford said. “It always helps whenever you get the best brands playing, and that really helps them with the new model, but it also promotes the league, and that's the reason we play Alabama, Georgia. We're going to continue to do that moving forward, and we're going to continue to look at what can we do, not only to grow Florida State but also to get those ratings. I always tell people, when you come to the game this fall, leave your TVs on at the house.”
So have other schools in the ACC started to schedule those brand on brand matchups?
“Hopefully, that's one thing I always wanted to promote, that we need to play people as a league, and we need to go out and win those games as a league,” Alford said. “So it's very important that we look to grow the brand of the league and to grow each team's brand. We need to be scheduling those games moving forward.”
Alford was asked if there’s a “number” for the revenue share Florida State could generate?
“We're still working through it right now," he replied. "A lot of different models on what the ratings are going to be in forecasting the ratings, and it's a five-year aggregate pool. It's going to give us the ability, if you go out and perform, anyone, any school in our conference can go out and earn it, to go out and perform and schedule those games to get those ratings, should get you close to competing nationally amongst the other two conferences.”
Alford acknowledged that $18 million potential ACC payout, which has been reported, is in the ballpark for what Florida State or any other school can earn from the television media rights success initiative.
“You can forecast,” Alford said. “You can kind of look at what your schedule is going to be. Look at your previous four years and anticipate what the next year is going to be, and then kind of (budget) conservatively in that window.”
While the league has not yet settled on the exact formula, Alford said the formula will be finalized for the ACC bylaws.
Florida State Athletic Director Michael Alford was in a good mood when he addressed the media following long days of consequential meetings at the Atlantic Coast Conference Spring Meetings, sessions that involved the House Settlement and the new ACC Success Initiatives but nothing brought a broader smile to his face than when asked about the football stadium and operations building progress.
Alford proudly announced that the football stadium will be completed well before the grand opening against Alabama, which officially will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on August 30.
“It’s coming great. The stadium will be done in July,” Alford said. “We are going to have events in August opening it up, maybe a practice or two. We’re going to bring people in who have purchased seats in the bowl. We’re really looking forward to it. Having taken some people through it, they are just blown away at it. Nebraska has been in. The Texans have been in. Penn State has been in. There’s been a bunch of schools come in just to see the uniqueness of it with the sightline, premium and different fan experiences to look at how we were putting everything together. Real excited about it.”
Alford is also looking forward to hosting some preseason events in the new 150,000-square-foot Dunlap Football Operations Facility.
“On target as well. Will be done in August,” he reported. “The team won’t move in until the bye week (September 13), don’t want to disrupt practice. But that’s also a good thing because it will give us the opportunity to do some events in it, get people through the facility to see it prior to the team moving in,” he said.
“It's going to be the best in the country.”
“We’ve been able to fly around the country to NFL and some collegiate facilities to take the best of best and then expand it,” he said of the 150,000 square foot facility dedicated to football. “There's nothing else in there (but football).”
Alford said the size of the project is impressive to those who have toured it.
“Just the hallways. How wide the hallways are, how impressive they are,” Alford said. “The (therapy) pool areas. We're keeping it just football and student athlete experience, no training table or anything crazy within that space, just football. So really excited about that and the difference it is going to make for our student-athletes.
And while the Dunlap football operations facility creates a massive, dedicated space for football, the project also frees up a great deal of space in the Moore Athletics Center, once occupied by football, for the benefit of other FSU sports
The two biggest questions heading into these Spring ACC meetings for FSU were regarding planning for the pending House Settlement and FSU’s new relationship with the ACC since that lawsuit was settled.
House Settlement
Alford said the day-long sessions were very detailed in regards to what happens if the House vs NCAA Case settles as well as what if it does not.
“Constantly talking and getting updates from our legal counsel,” Alford said of the months long process. “What’s in the briefs. What the next steps will be, so I would say that’s a weekly discussion we’re having.”
FSU is also internally monitoring and preparing so that when it passes FSU can hit the ground running.
“There’s been a lot of preparation done prior to this,” he said,, of the discussions. “And there’s a lot of different scenarios if it doesn’t pass. Then what are we going to do? I have three different budgets I’m prepared to activate depending on where we go.”
Alford was asked about Nick Saban and President Donald Trump’s interest in the House Settlement and the status of collegiate athletics.
“I was made very aware that Tony Campbell (vice chair with Nick Saban) had been there a couple of days before me and was made aware that the President was very on top of it,” Alford said of his recent visit to the West Wing of the White House. “He understands it, and that's exciting that he understands it, and the White House understands the issues, so we'll see how this plays out, either way.”
Alford was asked a question about the eagerness of the SEC and the Big 10 to be involved in trying to set the rules and structure of college football.
“From hearing in that room, Jim (Phillips) has been very vocal in his support and fighting for our conference moving forward. I believe in him and believe he will fight for us and put us in a great spot to have success in the future.”
FSU’s relationship with the ACC post settlement
“We’ve always had a great relationship. I always go back, you’ve heard me, since we started this, Jim and I always communicated, always communicated with our thoughts, communicated our feelings about the direction of the ACC. I’ll continue to communicate about the direction of the ACC but we’re really excited to put this behind us. We have a path going forward. We have a path to really look at how we control the conference together. How we expand on great brands that are in this conference and really promote the ACC and especially ACC football moving forward. Give it it’s day in the sun. So excited about the future. Communication was always there, and it continues to be a great relationship."
Clemson vs ND builds the ACC brand
Alford views the recent long-term contract signed by Clemson and Notre Dame as a brand-builder that will help the ACC.
While FSU already had more games scheduled with Notre Dame than any other ACC school, Alford sees this as an opportunity for FSU to schedule even more out of conference games with ND.
“Yeah, the great relationship we have with both those institutions," he said. "Fully aware of the conversations going on between those great institutions.”
Alford views Notre Dame much like Florida State’s Miami.
“I kind of viewed it as Clemson's Miami game every year,” Alford said. “While Clemson has had its annual rivalry game with South Carolina, like Florida State has with Florida, the Tigers didn’t have a second rivalry game like FSU has with Miami. They didn’t have that second game.”
Alford said he’s in talks with Notre Dame about playing more often.
“I’m very vocal about brands on brands helps this league. Brands on brands grow this league. Brands on brands helps this league, promote itself,” Alford said. “So I'm always been saying best brands need to play best brands. I want to play Virginia Tech more. I want to play Virginia more. That’s something we’re in constant communication to the league about our feelings.”
“Clemson and Notre Dame played sometimes through our regular (ACC) scheduling format within that but the years they didn't play is when they went and supplemented the games,” Alford said.
Alford said those Clemson-Notre Dame games will help Clemson’s television ratings and thus augment their share of the ACC’s new success initiative based on ratings.
“In terms of the revenue share on television ratings, that helps,” Alford said. “It always helps whenever you get the best brands playing, and that really helps them with the new model, but it also promotes the league, and that's the reason we play Alabama, Georgia. We're going to continue to do that moving forward, and we're going to continue to look at what can we do, not only to grow Florida State but also to get those ratings. I always tell people, when you come to the game this fall, leave your TVs on at the house.”
So have other schools in the ACC started to schedule those brand on brand matchups?
“Hopefully, that's one thing I always wanted to promote, that we need to play people as a league, and we need to go out and win those games as a league,” Alford said. “So it's very important that we look to grow the brand of the league and to grow each team's brand. We need to be scheduling those games moving forward.”
Alford was asked if there’s a “number” for the revenue share Florida State could generate?
“We're still working through it right now," he replied. "A lot of different models on what the ratings are going to be in forecasting the ratings, and it's a five-year aggregate pool. It's going to give us the ability, if you go out and perform, anyone, any school in our conference can go out and earn it, to go out and perform and schedule those games to get those ratings, should get you close to competing nationally amongst the other two conferences.”
Alford acknowledged that $18 million potential ACC payout, which has been reported, is in the ballpark for what Florida State or any other school can earn from the television media rights success initiative.
“You can forecast,” Alford said. “You can kind of look at what your schedule is going to be. Look at your previous four years and anticipate what the next year is going to be, and then kind of (budget) conservatively in that window.”
While the league has not yet settled on the exact formula, Alford said the formula will be finalized for the ACC bylaws.
