The SEC sure is being quiet on expansion
Okay, I tried to stay away. I tried to be a good boy and take time off and ignore the computer. But the expansion story is just too good. Some quick observations today. You already know most this stuff but I just want a chance to weigh in and get your thoughts.
1. The SEC is being awfully quiet in all this. Various media reports say Nebraska to the Big Ten is done and will be announced on Friday. There are also reports out there that very quietly, Mike Slive and his folks at the SEC could still invite Texas and Texas A&M if the Big 12 breaks up. Would Oklahoma and Oklahoma State come along? Yes, I know about the Pac-10 offer to the six Big 12 teams (Texas, A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Colorado). But as one official put it to me yesterday: Do you think DeLoss Dodds (the Texas athletics director) would rather send his women’s softball team to Pullman, Washington (home of Pac-10 member Washington State) or Tuscaloosa, Ala? I know all about the academic arguments in favor of the Pac-10. I’ll believe it when I see it.
People keep telling me that the SEC should do nothing. But if the Pac-10 and the Big Ten both go to 16 teams, can the SEC stay with a pat hand?
There is absolutely nothing coming out of the SEC on this. This is as locked down as I’ve ever seen them. That should make some people nervous because Slive is one of those “speak softly and carry a big stick” kind of guys.
2. Can Texas, Texas A&M save the Big 12? Various media reports have officials from the two schools meeting today. Understand that Dodds and A&M athletics director Bill Byrne have the juice to hold the league together even if Nebraska and Colorado (to the Pac-10) both leave. The Big 12 can pick up TCU, which further strengthens the Dallas market. I would also pick up SMU. Great academics and a football program on the rise with June Jones as coach. If the Big 12 doesn’t fall apart, then this process could be relatively calm. But Texas could decide that staying in the Big 12 is simply delaying the inevitable breakup.
3. But does the Big Ten stop at 12 teams? In the short term it could happen. Commissioner Jim Delany recently put it out there that expansion for his league could come in stages. Because Delany’s grand plan could put two conferences (Big East, Big 12) out of business, perhaps he decides to go on the installment plan.
4. Forget Notre Dame. With Nebraska set to accept the Big Ten’s offer on Friday, I think it closes the door on Notre Dame becoming a member of that conference. I could see Notre Dame becoming the 12th member of the Big Ten. I can’t see the Irish being the 13th or 14th or 16th member. Now all of that could change if the Big East falls apart. The Notre Dame would have to find another home for men’s basketball and its non-revenue sports.
5. The Pac-10 will expand. Even if the grand plan (inviting six teams from the Big 12) does not come to pass, that conference will still add at least two teams (Colorado and perhaps Utah). The league is getting ready to negotiate its next TV contract in football and it has to bring someting new to the market place. Here is another factor: The Pac-10’s marquee program, The University of Southern California, is about to get hammered by the NCAA. The Pac-10 has gotta do something.
Stayed tuned. The next 24 hours could be really interesting.
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748 comments Add your comment
Reptiles Rule
June 10th, 2010
11:58 am
Question: Does Colorado actually ADD to the Pac10??
Captain
June 10th, 2010
12:00 pm
UGA Who – boy, you need to go back to school and learn how to spell. You have your ‘then’ and ‘than’ confused, your ‘their’ and ‘there’ crossed up. Come on son, no one reading this blog believes you have had season tickets at GT for 10 years, unless you are buying employee tickets. I knew there were faculty season tickets available, is GT making season tickets available to the Maintenance Dept employees?
The SEC would be better off to invite Troy than GT. GT is right where they belong, with those 50,000 seats, a leaky roof at the Thriller Dome, and a baseball coach with a significant choking problem, happy as the guy on the bottom of the tickle pile in the “Almost Competitive Conference”.
Keep enjoying that fish ‘ol Fish Fry Johnson is cooking up — mmmmmm, mmmmm, he can sho fry some fish can’t he?
GeezusDawg
June 10th, 2010
12:00 pm
Question: Does anyone really care if Colorado adds to the Pac-10?
yup
June 10th, 2010
12:00 pm
GA Tech is not on the table discussion in the SEC. Move on.
Rob
June 10th, 2010
12:01 pm
Maybe some of you don’t know how big Texas is. Texas A&M is closer to LSU than it is to Texas Tech or Oklahoma State. From Bryan it is almost 700 miles just to El Paso and about 1,000 to Tucson (subtract 80 miles for Texas to AU.) A&M is closer to every school in the SEC West (and Florida) than it is to any team in Arizona.
Point is that joining the Pac-16 west would be a major burden for the smaller sports. If Texas and A&M can get into the SEC they will be doing all their other sports a service. There is more to this than money.
cantondawg
June 10th, 2010
12:02 pm
The SEC doesn’t need to do anything to remain competitive. We have the largest stadiums, most rabid fans and we are the biggest moneymaker in the NCAA. These conferences had to do something to keep up with the SEC.
However, it we do expand these are the teams that i think makes most sense. Clemson (great fan base and rivalry with Uga is special). Florida State, Texas and Texas A&M…
The U
June 10th, 2010
12:03 pm
The AP has NEVER given a NC to tech.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaha
aaaaaaaaahahahahahhahahahahahhaha
aaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahaha
Yeppie
June 10th, 2010
12:03 pm
Texas is on the board. Reports show Pac 10, but would not surprise me if the SEC contacts Texas and Texas A&M. Could be a political power move to get more negotiation power in the Pac 10 potential. Also, SEC is looking out for its future 2-4 years from now. Who knows..
HugoStiglitz
June 10th, 2010
12:05 pm
cantondawg, if it was all about football then most conferences would want Boise St as they are one of the best programs in the country. Fortunately, its not all about football though.
Sven Ottke
June 10th, 2010
12:05 pm
I’m not sure what it takes to convince you boneheads that Texas and A&M aren’t joining the SEC. Texas has no desire to join the SEC and their legislature won’t allow them to split. They are bolting to the Pac 10. The SEC is going after Tech, FSU, Miami and either Clemson or Lville.
And Dave in Tampa, go stand in front of a cannon at a Tampa Bay Bucs game.
T-Rav and the Eastside Grainger
June 10th, 2010
12:06 pm
LOL. Love the logic here. Tech wont add anything in an already controlled TV market, but TCU will strengthen the Dallas market? Dude, whatev. Texas and T A&M run that state.
Dave In Tampa
June 10th, 2010
12:06 pm
WOW – At looking at it, I agree on the fact that winning a NC is not on the forefront like the 3 teams you mentioned. That needs to change at UGA. It’s the fact that you compared UGA with tech. There is no comparison! You still can’t knock what CMR has done for UGA. He HAS turned around that program. As long as he is the head coach at UGA he will be in the position to win the SEC and have a shot at the NC. Tech is nowhere close to saying that. Again, since in the beginning you were comparing the two schools.
Yes, UGA needs to have the mindest like UF, Bama and LSU have and zero in on the NC. They have the talent and a DC that has them going in the right direction. Time will tell. I would not bet against them the next couple years.
tnsevol
June 10th, 2010
12:07 pm
Georgia offers very little real competition, nobody within the SEC respects their game. Would be nice to dump Georgia and pick up a GT or Miami. Georgia really belongs in Division II, if for no other reason just to play against kids with similiar IQs. Paul Johnson is 10 times the coach that Richt is, and as soon as we fire Dooley we’ll be trying to hire Paul Johnson… good luck keep him Tech. And to all you Georgia fans, please stay out of Neyland Stadium… your cheering section sounds like a bunch of teenage girls (which is about how your team looked last year)
Otto
June 10th, 2010
12:09 pm
Yeppie agree with you again.
Colorado does add to the PAC10 with the Denver TV market.
The SEC is on top now but stronger ties between Texas and Cali talent could shift the powerbase of talent and money.
SEC talent is also heavily recruited by multiple schools with more programs coming in, USF, Ga. St., Troy, UAB etc. How many other Florida schools?
papadawg
June 10th, 2010
12:09 pm
TB your vacations sounds a little like mine. I plan on forgetting all and relaxing and then I get a call from one of my businesses. Love to see Texas & Oklahoma in the PAC 10 powderpuff conference & eliminate the easy schedule USC has every year
Dave In Tampa
June 10th, 2010
12:10 pm
Good point R.R.
Who really cares if UC joined the PAC-10? That school will not bring much to the table in lue of better football.
East Atlanta
June 10th, 2010
12:11 pm
Why would the SEC expand at all? The TV contracts (just signed last year) are already in place (and not up for renewal any time soon), and they have the magic number of teams (12) to have a conference championship game. Why split the existing cash between more teams? Since no one will be poaching any teams from our conference, I think there’s a fair chance the SEC stays exactly as-is.
Otto
June 10th, 2010
12:11 pm
T-Rav don’t leave out OU. If you doubt Oklahoma look at how many Texans play for OU with DFW getting most of the players.
Agreed on TCU vs GT.
nerds! nerds! nerds!
June 10th, 2010
12:12 pm
first off, uga who is a complete moron. And thats Mr. UGA to you nerd! Did you know that UGA does not consider tech a real rivalry? its true. We fill up your stadium just to watch nerds in their natural habitat. You tech “fans” are so irrelevent. Their is zero market for tech. THWGT!!!!!!!!!!
Otto
June 10th, 2010
12:12 pm
East Atlanta, the TV contract has clauses for renegotiation.
Wow
June 10th, 2010
12:12 pm
Ok Dave in Tampa, you have a point, I was comparing GT and UGA in the begining. But my point is that Tech has had more recent success than UGA and that is all that matters, because we all know that we live in the present, and the last couple of seasons Tech has been one win away from having an argument about playing in the National Championship game. I like UGA though, and they need to step it up or they will be irrelevant in a few years.
buzzwax
June 10th, 2010
12:13 pm
http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/champions_sec.html
Who has only THREE less SEC Football Championships than LSU??
GT
GT has more SEC Football championships than FOUR current members and hasn’t been in the league in over FOURTY YEARS….
AL 21 (5 shared)
UGA 12 (4)
UT 11 (4)
UF 9
LSU 8
Miss 6
AU 6 (1)
GT 5 (2)
KY 2 (1)
Mst 1
Van 0
Ark 0
bama67
June 10th, 2010
12:13 pm
The SEC needs to try and maintain some geographical balance. If expanding, adding 4 teams to the East especially if they include GT, Clem and Fl St makes the conference even more eastern than it is. It is already a road game for LSU or Ark to play UGa or Fl in an SECCG. The conference would have to be conscious about rotating the SECCG to the Superdome or Bham’s new dome if it is ever built and the other tourneys. You don’t want the SEC to go down the path of the Big 12 where they became Texas centric. Problem is if A&M and OU don’t come to the SEC, there aren’t a lot of good options to expand west. Maybe Mizzou but that isn’t too exciting.
Any Texas school besides A&M or Texas would be a waste of time and space in the SEC.
Otto
June 10th, 2010
12:13 pm
Papadawg, Again read the ESPN article USC gets a more powder puff schedule with the PAC8 reforming in the PAC west.
Chris
June 10th, 2010
12:15 pm
If the SEC can’t get Texas or Tex AM, then I hope they don’t forget what made them the most watched and respected conference in the land. What is that? Packed stadiums, SEC type tailgating campuses, great traditions and pagaeantry, close proximity and rivalries. IT is the SEC “it” factor that other conferences don’t have. Clemson can bring all of this to the SEC. Add VT to get a new state, but balance that with a tightening inside the footprint with Clemson. The SEC will become even more special as the Pac Ten stretches from Pullman to College Station and The Big Ten stretches from Lincoln to Piscataway. THe SEC can stand there and say we added teams that do not take away the cultural feel and fit of our conference and do not compromise our student athletes with extreme travel distances. I would love to see running down the hill and rubbing the rock and 81,500 as part of the SEC. I’d also like to see FSU, GT and VT join in. Miami is not SEC. A pro stadium with tarps covering the entire sections is not SEC. Do I think Clemson has a shot? I’ll put it like Dabo referred to his chance to get the Clemson job, “I may not have a good shot, it may be a real loon shot, but hey, I’ve got a shot.”
Dave In Tampa
June 10th, 2010
12:15 pm
WOW – We’ll just have to agree to dissagree on GT being one win away from playing for a NC. Last year GT had a better record than UGA, but that was it. If they would have beat UGA then they would of had the better year. I guess we can go back and forth all day on this one.
gcs
June 10th, 2010
12:16 pm
I told you college football never ends!
The news of USC’s probation punishment started to leak last night and then the Pac-10 drops this bombshell the next day. Doesn’t it seem a little coincidental that the Pac-10 is taking the spotlight off their marquee team? How long do you think they have been holding this secret inside?
.
Gary
June 10th, 2010
12:16 pm
Rob – Sorry, I typed to fast and I actually meant Tulsa and not TCU. The MW conference is supposed to be deciding soon on whether to invite Boise State. I think they were holding out to who gets left from the Big 12.
Otto – I was not aware of the no-conference championship game proposition until after my post. That is intriguing, but would the other BCS schools go for two automatic bids? That remains to be seen. In the beginning, I thought the Big 10 said they would add a conference championship game if they expanded. I know the SEC would not do away with the championship game because of all the revenue it brings in.
DP
June 10th, 2010
12:17 pm
Smart move by the Pac 10 and Colorado. If they had let this thing drag on, the politicians in Texas would have made Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor a package deal and squeezed out Colorado.
Dave In Tampa
June 10th, 2010
12:18 pm
buzzwax = 30-24. 8 out of 9. Please don’t have me remind you of the overall record. To live in the present and not before the vietnam war tech would be a bottom dweller in the SEC. They were smart to move to the ACC.
SEC HISTORIAN
June 10th, 2010
12:19 pm
Walk softly and carry a big stick. The SEC commish is being eerily quite. The Big 10 and Pac 10 are playing it out very loud in the media. The SEC will either do nothing and let the dust settle…or drop a bomb that will shock everyone in college athletics. It is nice being number one in football. Everyone is a distant second. Our next move will raise our bar higher…be patient SEC fans…
Cap
June 10th, 2010
12:20 pm
Colorado brings a tremendous amount to the PAC-10. The overwhelming majority of the youth population west of the Mississippi is Mexican American. They don’t play football. The entire PAC-10 relies on the black and white California youth population for a recruiting base. However, since the 1990s a large number of white Californians have migrated to Colorado and a large number of black Californians have migrated to Texas (they call it the Californication of the west). The PAC-10 needs Colorado and Texas to sure up its recruiting base to even hope to remain competitive with the SEC.
Scott in TX
June 10th, 2010
12:20 pm
You can forget Texas and A&M becoming members of the SEC. They, along with CU, Tech, and the Oklahoma schools are PAC-10 bound. This has been in the works for a while now.
With the loss of six schools, there is no way the Big XII survives. It will be dissolved since there is no way on God’s green earth that any school, drunk or sober, would ever join that sinking ship.
Otto
June 10th, 2010
12:22 pm
Delany of the Big10 on a Big10 CG “That’s not the motivation,” Delany said Tuesday at league meetings in Chicago. “If it was, we could have done that many times over the past 20 years.”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/05/18/bigten-expansion.ap/index.html#ixzz0qT4HFLcO
This is purely about TV contracts and packaging deals that can be marketed with the revenue shared.
Many school presidents are against a playoff in CFB.
IMO this maybe a powerplay by the Big10 and PAC10 to avoid the SEC’s march to a playoff.
GatorGal
June 10th, 2010
12:24 pm
Expansion or no expansion, one thing won’t change: The Gators own the Dawgs. The Gators have won 17 out of the last 20, and that will just keep getting more in the Gators’ favor.
Just to refresh your memory, the combined score of the last two games is 90-27. It’s only going to get worse, Dawg fans, so get used to BOHICA.
Jeff
June 10th, 2010
12:25 pm
Texas natural rivalry with Pigs (from days past) Texas AM same with pigs and LSU. natural fit…doubt OK and OKST come also…..could see adding TX and AM…if we go to 4…add Clempsux and Free Shoes…..
Cap
June 10th, 2010
12:25 pm
It is OK if you didn’t read my earlier post so I’ll restate it in general terms. MIAMI IS NOT JOINING THE SEC! Miami, FL is not SEC country. The University of Florida would poop twice and die before they let both Florida State and Miami join the SEC. The University of Miami is a small, expensive private school that was essentially irrelevant in football until Howard Schnellenberger convinced the school that by admitting the average high school football player from the hood in Miami they would turn into a national powerhouse. It worked. But otherwise Miami does not fit the SEC profile and it is much more advantageous to stay in the ACC. If they can’t re-tool to beat up on UVa, Duke, and UNC why would they even want to have to play Georgia, Florida, and even Tennessee every year?
DZ
June 10th, 2010
12:25 pm
“People keep telling me that the SEC should do nothing.” I REALLY wish the SEC could stay the way it is but they HAVE to do something or get left behind.
It would be funny if Nebraska goes to the Big Ten, half the Big 12 goes to the Pac-10 and Missouri – who started this whole thing – ends up independent.
I wonder with an expanded Pac-10 whether USC will continue to schedule Notre Dame.
HugoStiglitz
June 10th, 2010
12:29 pm
Its official now. The Pac-10 has announced it:
http://www.pac-10.org/genrel/061010aaa.html
The first domino falls. Its just a matter of time before the other 5 Big 12 schools officially decide to bolt for the Pac 10.
Cap
June 10th, 2010
12:29 pm
Stop all of this nonsense about it being too expensive for non-revenue sports to travel. If the football teams don’t have to play a round-robing schedule why do the non-revenue sports have too? The PAC-16 East will essentially be the Big 12 South. Non revenue-sports having to travel to Arizona will not be a major inconvenience. The PAC-16 west will essentially be the old PAC-8 so just playing a divisional schedule and only meeting in league tournaments or title games will actually make travel more efficient.
Yeppie
June 10th, 2010
12:31 pm
USC— Would be nice for USC to actually play teams that are national powers.
I am sure USC is against a conf champ game.
They would have to play most likely a Texas. (if not Texas then Oklahoma) USC would actually have to prove themselves every weekend versus only play one or two competitive games.
ACC Expansion
June 10th, 2010
12:33 pm
The ACC is targeting Rice, New Mexico State, and Eastern Michigan to give ACC football more credability.
They want to avoid any further humiliation like when the triple joke was exposed on Trek’s only national TV game.
bill lumberg
June 10th, 2010
12:34 pm
Scenario 1: Texas A&M breaks away from big brother Texas and accepts SEC invite.
SEC West/benefit—Texas TV markets for SEC, SEC name for A&M recruiting
Va. Tech breaks from U of Virginia & accepts SEC invite–SEC East/benefit—DC TV market, divisions are not shifted
Scenario 2: Va Tech cannot move without Va (which does not want to join SEC due to academics)
Scenario 3: Missouri added to SEC west along with Tex A&M/benefit—-large St. Louis TV market added, close promiximity to SEC rivals, strong academic standing (AAU membership –same as A&M), conference divisions are not shifted…afterall–Mizzou has no other place to go.
Scenario 4: SEC does not expand
Who is not getting invited:
Ga. Tech—burned SEC bridges in early 60’s…Dodd got the big head….pulled a Nebraska move (before it was cool) and bailed….tried in ‘78 to re-join and was blocked by Bear at Bama and UGA—ATL MARKET IS ALREADY LOCKED…UGA TERRITORY
FSU—-Florida & Foley will not allow it
Miami—-see above. SEC already has the sunshine state market. Alumni base is 90% from the NE, small alumni base, thug program
Clemson—-brings nothing to the table (except a lake, tractors, hot co-eds)
Who is not joining the SEC:
Texas—-liberal leadership and academic heads are all about academics. Texas is not about to share their piece of the pie.
SMU, Baylor, TCU, Louisville, Troy (WTF–Troy??)—-not worth discussing but here it goes—-small programs that bring nothing to the table
UKphily
June 10th, 2010
12:36 pm
I would like to see the SEC expand and take Louisville, so we can watch them get crushed in football every year and then turn around and beat them twice in basketball ever year!!!
Scott in TX
June 10th, 2010
12:36 pm
Bill Lumberg – Sorry, Texas and A&M will not be joining the SEC. That issue is dead.
Bamaguru
June 10th, 2010
12:37 pm
My thoughts are that the SEC will attempt get both Texas and A&M but will end up with only A&M. The next move should then be to bring in FSU, Clemson and VA Tech. That would accomplish both increasing the geographic footprint of the SEC and adding two teams with natural rivals already in the conference.
Yeppie
June 10th, 2010
12:37 pm
USC- Will be against any conf champ game. They would not want to face off with Texas every year. Besides, the west side of the potential 16 team conf is weak. The East will dominate again. This is the ironic scenario… That was one of the down falls of the Big 12. The weak Big 12 north division. USC will again play in a weak division if the pac 10 expands…
ACC Expansion
June 10th, 2010
12:38 pm
GT and their tens of fans will bring nothing to the SEC.
Stay in your turd conference where a 50,000 seat stadium is acceptable.
Dave In Tampa
June 10th, 2010
12:38 pm
It does look like the dominoe effect is getting to take place. Those schools know that they will fair better, record wise, in the PAC-10. SEC needs to make a little noise of it’s own. Slive is being very quiet. Let’s hope that he has something up his sleeve. Should add: FSU, Clemson, VT and GT. If only two them get FSU & VT (I changed my mind from an earlier post. VT would be better than Clemson)
John
June 10th, 2010
12:38 pm
Living in Arizona, I can tell you that Texas, AM, TT, OK, and OK State will go to the Pac-10. They are Western schools and are quite proud of it. The general belief is that the Pac-16 will get two BCS slots. It’s funny that Gator fans do not want FSU or Miami in the SEC. Why is UF so scared of both? I don’t buy the fact that UF can veto who they want. The SEC is not concerned about TV footprint as they are about match-ups. FSU is still a big draw for TV and ESPN loves Jimbo and see FSU as returning to it’s former glory.