There have been a number of insightful things said about what's going on with Florida State, but Joe Ovies probably had one of the smarter ones when he pointed out in a Tweet that the weekend's comments about the Big 12 come right before the ACC gathers for their annual pow-wow, and that it may be a strategic move, which brings to mind an interesting columnist we used to read.
We forget the guy's name, but he had a column about how to do sales and handle people, and he drew on a lifetime's experience. One column in particular stuck with us:
A salesman who worked at his father's business came in and threatened to quit if he didn't get a raise.
Give it to him, his father counseled, he's worth it.
He came back a second time with the same tactic, but the second time his father said fire him.
The lesson, to us anyway, was clear. Pay someone what they're worth and keep them happy, but don't let them push you around because they'll never stop.
Of course, in Florida State's situation you can either push for as much as you can get, bluff, or build your case for moving.
Whatever the case, his advice is more or less appropriate in this case. Florida State has brought a lot to the ACC football wise, albeit not so much lately. In the last couple of years they've even managed to turn the corner in basketball and become one of the top-flight teams in the ACC.
That said, if as someone suggested, Florida State wants to keep most of the football money it brings to the ACC, and that they are unhappy with the even distribution of funds to all member schools, then it probably is time for them to move on. While the AD and the president have said, no, no, nothing to worry about here, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the coach Jimbo Fisher have said they think the Big 12 is worth checking out, and Fisher has made it clear for some time that he'd prefer to move.
There are a lot of things that can be done to keep them happy and probably a lot of things have already been done, but there's a limit. If they'd rather move on, then so be it. The ACC has issues when it comes to football, to be sure, but as the Big East continues to decline, the conference also has some of the best demographics in the country, and they go all the way up the East Coast.
By the way, here's a bit of history - an article written right after FSU picked the ACC over the SEC. The president at the time cited academics as the winning factor. How quaint that sounds now.
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After the ACC meetings began, Florida State, at least publicly, tried to backtrack. Haggard, as it turns out, misunderstood the bit about the third tier games. USA Today says that President Barron issued a public apology to the ACC (we're not sure if this is his statement or something which came later).
Haggard also said this:
"All I tried to say was I think Florida State needs to keep an open mind. If the Big 12 or the SEC or any other conference wants to talk, we have an obligation to listen. If the Big 12 calls, should we hang up the phone? No.
"I'm not saying take it. I'm saying listen to it. Listen to what they have to say. ⦠My only point is to listen to anybody who wants to talk â especially in these economic times."
Well, who the hell knows. But he's notably less cocky than he was before.
- FSU: 'Misinformation' spread about ACC contract
- Big 12 expansion could lead to consolidation of power
- Is this Florida State-Big 12 business for real?
- Expansion reset: Where FSU, the Big 12 and ACC currently stand
- Florida State trustee may have lit the fuse on a potential move to the Big 12
- Florida State storm subsides as ACC meetings open
- âAfter busy weekend, FSU officials head to ACC meetings
- FSU has fallen back to ACC; Big 12 would eat up Seminoles
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