You should know money talks and BS walks. What happens if ESPN call the lower value ACC team’s bluff and tell you that letting FSU go will make them happy? You don’t want to piss off the ultimate sugar daddy.
ESPN- Tell you what ACC irrelevants and your cabin boy SMU; you can either divide up your portion of the remainder of the promised revenue now and go away or the next contract we offer your school will be cents on the dollar. Mind you in the meantime until your contract run out we are going to put as many of your games on at bad time slots and behind a paywall and show your real independent value without us.
Rememberthe money is coming from the distributors and advertising on the games. Hurting and restricting FSU, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Miami, and North Carolina is bad for viewership numbers.