“I need to protect Florida State:” Michael Alford talks ACC revenue, conference

Nearly 500 days into his tenure at the helm of Florida State athletics, Michael Alford has made some major strides for his department. The biggest of those is coming from the football program.

In that short time frame, the team has gone from cellar dwellers to a likely preseason top-ten team with a commitment to the transfer portal and NIL. Off the field, they’ve broken ground on a new football-only facility after a strong fundraising effort and scheduled a marquee international game in Ireland — something he says has been months in the making.

“I have a great relationship with John Anthony, who is one of the founders of that game,” Alford told the Seminole Wrap. “He approached me… and he said, ‘Hey, would you ever consider it?’ And I said, ‘of course, you know, but there’s got to be certain parameters in place. I’m not going to give up a home game.’”

Alford says that interaction led to game organizers finding a team on the Noles away schedule that would be willing to make the trip overseas. The result — an additional primetime game in 2024 against Georgia Tech.

As for games stateside, that attitude of not giving up home games is a big focus. So that could mean non-conference contests in Tallahassee instead of a neutral site.

“We owe that to this community — to continue our fan base coming back so we can showcase everything academically and culturally that’s going on at the university.” Alford added, “I’m never gonna say never, but my priority is to have games here at Doak.”

Those home games represent $100 million annually to Tallahassee and Leon County, according to the AD. Each game represents a massive boost to the local economy.

One of his other focuses is his department’s finances as well. After all, it’s not free to build a new football facility. Or to pay lucrative extensions to Norvell and other key members of the football staff. Or recruit Link Jarrett away from Notre Dame.

Or… you get the point.

That funding is what remains at the forefront of Alford’s mind as he looks at Florida State’s commitment to ACC.

In this interview, the Seminole Wrap crew asked Alford where he believes FSU’s relationship with the conference stands one month after his presentation to the school’s Board of Trustees. In that presentation, he painted the picture of the growing gap in revenue between them, the SEC and the Big Ten. Does he think a redistribution plan is on the table with the conference?

“We understand, especially at Florida State and a couple of other institutions, really understand the commitment of that gap that’s coming. It’s a freight train. That’s barreling down the tracks… I’m very involved and looking at solutions. Because I can’t sit here. And for five years, it’d be 30 million behind every year. It’s not a…