Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsSaturday, June 20, 2026

Big 12 Expansion: Bobby Bowden Says Florida State Should Stay In ACC

Plenty of distinguished people from Tallahassee to Austin have weighed in on the Florida State-to-Big 12 rumors that heated up this month. Now legendary FSU coach Bobby Bowden has put his opinion on the record, and he is not in favor of a potential move to the Big 12.

Bowden went on Jack Arute’s SiriusXM radio program on Thursday and, in his best Southern drawl, emphatically advocated that the ‘Noles stay put. Via John Taylor at CollegeFootballTalk:

“My message would be stay in the ACC,” Bowden told Arute in a transcript provided by SiriusXM. “Do you want to win a National Championship at Florida State? You’ve got a better chance in the ACC than you have in the Big 12, or even the SEC.

“You say, ‘Well, gosh, they’re much stronger in those conferences.’ Yeah! They beat up on each other and you can’t hardly get there. You know what? Florida State, wait ‘til you get good enough to rule the ACC then you start looking for someplace to jump. But my opinion? They should stay right where they are.”

Bowden also cited increased travel costs for all the non-revenue sports as another reason to stay in the ACC, stating that the East Coast is FSU’s “base.”

For more on FSU football, visit Florida State blog Tomahawk Nation and SB Nation Tampa Bay.

See More:
Maryland-to-B1G made UNC AD nervousMaryland-to-B1G made UNC AD nervous
By Chris Fuhrmeister
The real story of the ACC invasionThe real story of the ACC invasion
By Martin Rickman
A very #goacc chatA very #goacc chat
By Martin Rickman

More in General

GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
An SB Nation New Yorker needs our helpAn SB Nation New Yorker needs our help
GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
General
Sabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world recordSabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world record
General

The mythical two-hour mark was broken at the London Marathon.

By Bernd Buchmasser
A Huge Dog
THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1
Play
General
Super Bowl 60 coin toss resultsSuper Bowl 60 coin toss results
General

The Seahawks and Patriots will open the Super Bowl with the coin toss to determine who starts with the ball. We have the full coin toss results for Super Bowl 60.

By David Fucillo
General
Marc Marquez completes a comeback for the agesMarc Marquez completes a comeback for the ages
General

MotoGP’s Marc Marquez completed a comeback for the ages with his 2025 title

By Mark Schofield
General
How to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search resultsHow to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search results