Florida State may not want to push too hard to exit the ACC after all.

Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported the Big Ten and SEC are "unlikely" to add the Seminoles to their conference should Florida State and Clemson win their legal battle to explore an exit from the ACC.

"There is no appetite among the presidents unless there is some catastrophic development with the ACC and it forces [the Big Ten] into a decision," a source told McMurphy.

"If the ACC blows up, who picks first [between the Big Ten and SEC]? Who picks second? If there is a need and desire to expand, you take inventory so your competitors don't get it. But the presidents and chancellors are looking for stability. Despite what the social media geniuses are suggesting, no one — the leagues, the networks — is driving expansion."

The Big Ten expanded to 18 teams this year by adding Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington from the decimated Pac-12. The SEC is up to 16 member schools after Texas and Oklahoma joined from the Big 12.

Florida State and Clemson are both suing the ACC over the conference's grant of rights agreement. The deal makes it prohibitively expensive—to the point of being nearly impossible—for either school to leave until at least 2036. Both schools argue the ACC's current television contracts make it difficult to compete financially with other high-powered programs.

One source told McMurphy that Florida State's tact in its attempt to exit the SEC makes it an unlikely partner.

"Look what they did: getting the attorney general involved, accusing [former ACC commissioner] John Swofford of rigging the television rights to help his son, filing a suit to expose ESPN's TV deals — something the other three power leagues are against, by the way," the source said. "They're not a good partner. There's no congeniality. No one wants that.

"It's not about FSU getting out of the ACC's Grant of Rights. They're not a fit."

College football is slowly but surely coalescing into super-conferences, and it's fair to wonder whether the Big Ten or SEC could actually turn down powerhouses like Florida State and Clemson if given a real opportunity. Both universities bring national cache and regular competition at the highest level.

The SEC would be the more natural partner, with Florida State (Florida) and Clemson (South Carolina) already having natural rivals within the conference. If the ACC splinters in a similar fashion to the Pac-12, the Big Ten would be a strong fit for Virginia and potentially North Carolina in moves to strengthen their basketball league.

As it stands, the future of college football will play out in the courts rather than on the field.