That island must be a very, very lonely place for Randy Spetman right about now.
Earlier Saturday, Florida State Board of Trustees chairman Andy Haggard very emphatically stated he “can say that unanimously [the board] would be in favor of seeing what the Big 12 might have to offer.” That interview and those words directly contradict FSU’s athletic director’s ACC affirmation a day earlier.
Now, the head football coach has publicly hinted as much as well that, yeah, maybe looking beyond the ACC is something that should be considered.
“There have been no official talks, but I think you always have to look out there to see what’s best for Florida State,” Fisher said Saturday night according to the Orlando Sentinel. “If that [jumping to the Big 12] is what’s best for Florida State, then that’s what we need to do.”
In an email sent to CFT May 4, and in response to the initial rumors that FSU and Clemson had a significant interest in moving to the Big 12, Spetman, through an athletic department official, said the following:
“Commenting on rumors like this would only give life to this non-story.”
Thanks to Haggard -- and now Fisher to a lesser extent -- this has become the story in college football, especially in the weeks after spring practice has ended and in the months before the 2012 season actually starts. It’s no longer a non-story, and it will be damn-near impossible for FSU to put the toothpaste back into the ACC tube if the Big 12 doesn’t act on the embarrassing public flirtation.
In the meantime, Spetman’s out there twisting in the wind, undermined by his boss’ boss. Hopefully, he has his Wilson at the ready.