ACC commissioner Jim Phillips believes the league is on solid ground following settlements with Clemson and Florida State —and insists both programs are satisfied with how things turned out.

In the latest valuation by The Athletic, Clemson—coming in at No. 22 with a $665 million evaluation—is one of just three ACC programs to crack the top 25 most valuable teams in college football. Texas holds the crown at around $2.38 billion, and Georgia and Ohio State trail close behind, with $1.92 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively.

Dabo Swinney has turned the Clemson Tigers into not just one of the most consistent winners, but one of the most consistent winners of all time.

Head coach Dabo Swinney led the Clemson contingent to Charlotte for the ACC's annual preseason media gathering

Castellanos is trying to help the Seminoles bounce back from a dismal 2024 and putting the pressure on his shoulders going into Week 1

The ‘Noles were not on Tuesday’s agenda as Mike Norvell and company aren’t slated to take the podium until Wednesday, but that didn’t keep the garnet and gold out of the headlines.

Florida State first sued the ACC in December 2023 (in Florida, of course) followed by Clemson (in South Carolina) as the two schools explored joining a different conference.

Louisville gave Clemson its only ACC loss last season, a 33-21 defeat at home that put the Tigers at risk of missing the ACC Championship before factors that worked in their favor. Head coach Jeff Brohm, similar to other squads, has a foundation that is ready to contend.

Klubnik is a perfect example. He could have left Clemson at any point during his 3 1/2-year career when times got tough, but chose to stay and was rewarded last year with being named MVP of last year’s ACC championship game. The Tigers lost 38-24 to Texas in the first round of the playoffs, but Swinney said his players have used that as motivation.