Newberry: Florida State always seemed out of place in the ACC. Now the Seminoles want out

FILE - Florida State players pose after defeating Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C. Florida State announced it will hold a Board of Trustees meeting on Friday, Dec. 22, and a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press the future of the athletic department and its affiliation with the Atlantic Coast Conference will be discussed.(AP Photo/Erik Verduzco, File) FILE - Florida State players pose after defeating Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C. Florida State announced it will hold a Board of Trustees meeting on Friday, Dec. 22, and a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press the future of the athletic department and its affiliation with the Atlantic Coast Conference will be discussed.(AP Photo/Erik Verduzco, File)

By PAUL NEWBERRY / AP Sports Columnist December 22, 2023 6 min read

Florida State always seemed out of place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

A football school in a league long renowned for its basketball prowess.

Now, the Seminoles want out. Divorce is inevitable, but the split figures to be anything but amicable.

The salvos fired Friday, when the Florida State board of trustees voted to begin legal proceedings to escape the ACC without having to pay a staggering departure fee, showed just how nasty this fight is likely to be.

Not surprising, since the stakes are enormous for both sides.