SEC expansion: It’ll happen soon, and there’ll be a 14th team
One of these teams would balance Texas A&M, and not the one in gold. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
For a dizzying minute, it seemed Texas A&M might land in the SEC soon enough to qualify for the 2011 conference title. Then the SEC offered no invitation and the Aggies decided to take a moment to assess options, and some folks are taking this to mean the whole deal — not there ever was an actual deal, but you take my meaning — is off.
To such folks, I offer this from Jackson Browne, who may or may not have ever seen a college football game: “Don’t think it won’t happen just because it hasn’t happened yet.”
The key point: Texas A&M wants out of the Big 12 because it hates the thought of sharing a shrunken conference with the overweening Texas Longhorns, who are about to launch their own TV network in collaboration with, wouldn’t you know, ESPN. Before it jumps, A&M wants to find a soft place to land. The SEC has made it clear it’s willing to be that place.
No, the SEC hasn’t said so. On Sunday its presidents met and “reaffirmed our satisfaction with the current 12-institutional alignment.” But this is posturing. The SEC, with its five consecutive BCS titles and its billion-dollar TV contracts, doesn’t want to irk anybody by appearing grabby. (The New York Times has reported that SEC commissioner Mike Slive had a heated phone conversation with Dan Beebe, his Big 12 counterpart, last week.)
The SEC has to figure out how to finesse this so its coming expansion — and expansion is absolutely coming — won’t leave the league mired in lawsuits or render it a villain in the court of public opinion. The SEC will be happy to ask Texas A&M into its living room when the Aggies officially say, “Please.” And they will.
The SEC also needs time to triangulate. The best conference isn’t going to sit on an uneven number. It needs a 14th team, and maybe a 15th and a 16th. It was rumored over the weekend that Florida State was SEC-bound, along with Clemson and Missouri, two schools that have nothing in common. The SEC’s problem won’t be in finding a new member or even three new members; the problem will be in identifying the best fit.
The Big 12 is already down to 10, and would Oklahoma want to remain in a league in which, due to the Longhorn Network, it faces a competitive imbalance? The ACC’s ballyhooed expansion hasn’t worked, and the schools who care most about football — Clemson, Florida State, Virginia Tech — must ask themselves if they want to linger in a conference that has had a hard time drumming up interest in its championship game. (In existence only since 2005, the ACC title tilt is on its third city.)
Loading ...If you’re the SEC, would the proper complement to Texas A&M be another Big 12 refugee? Or would Virginia Tech, say, offer better geographic balance than, say, Oklahoma? The Aggies would give the SEC even deeper entree into the fertile recruiting ground of Texas, but Oklahoma recruits Texas, too. Would Florida State do anything to broaden the SEC base? Would Clemson? (Remember, the league already has members in both states.)
A factoid to note: The conference hasn’t expanded with Slive as commissioner. Indeed, each of the other five BCS leagues has taken on new members since the SEC grew to 12 in 1991. Even as critics contend that college football is out of control, it must be said that college football’s flagship league has been content to go with what it has.
As the landscape keeps changing and bigger programs come into play, the SEC cannot be content much longer. It wouldn’t want Texas A&M and Oklahoma follow Nebraska to the Big Ten. If high-profile programs are determined to relocate, the SEC will be duty-bound to open its gated community.
It will, but not just yet. The Texas A&M scenario flared so fast that nobody was ready for it. By the end of the year, Slive will have done his due diligence and his league will be ready to grow. To 14 teams, I’ll venture, with Virginia Tech being the 14th.
By Mark Bradley
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465 comments Add your comment
Delbert D.
August 16th, 2011
7:14 pm
Beast – Yes, but Miami has many more FBS rival schools down there now; Florida International Airport, etc. Can’t play everybody.
Beast from the East
August 16th, 2011
7:14 pm
Mad,
Used to be the first game of the year for both teams. If I’m not mistaken, UM’s first NC team had one loss……to UF in the season opnener.
Keith
August 16th, 2011
7:14 pm
Would LOVE to see A&M in the SEC. The Longhorns are scared to death of what A&M’s defection to the preiminent conference would do to their status. Many have called A&M a sleeping giant b/c of it’s size (47k students), alumni (500k), academics (AAU tier 1 research institution), wealth (>75mil for football in 2010), fertile recruiting location (3 hours or less from Houston, San Antonio, and DFW), and tradition (Corps of Cadets, George H.W. Bush Library, rabid fanbase, etc…). A&M and the SEC would get a LOT of attention from the 36 million residents of the State of Texas. Kudos to Mike Slive and his team for their opportunistic vision!
ToccoaDawg
August 16th, 2011
7:14 pm
OK for all you techies let me explain something. Tech was in the SEC and left, therefore, Forget it you’re NOT getting back in. PERIOD. Tech should have stayed. but who am I to burst your fantasy. Clemson on the other hand would make a great addition, even evil genius thinks so.
Beast from the East
August 16th, 2011
7:15 pm
“Florida International Airport”
LOL! Delbert, play nice!
JB
August 16th, 2011
7:15 pm
Post @7:13 is right out of the RAT freshman handbook. Old, stale Stereotype BS
SEC
August 16th, 2011
7:17 pm
Beast, It wasn’t UGA that blocked tech to SEC, it was Auburn and the Mississippi schools.
ToccoaDawg
August 16th, 2011
7:17 pm
SEC ^5
Mad
August 16th, 2011
7:18 pm
I see uf stopped playing miami in 88. So they quit a few years before expansion.
Jordan
August 16th, 2011
7:18 pm
Why isn’t Georgia Tech in the mix? I think they would be a good fit for the SEC East
JB
August 16th, 2011
7:21 pm
Yea, Tech is classy. Anyone remember the Bear having to wear a helmet to get off the field. Smart sometimes doesn’t equal very bright. Throwing fish at the Notre Dame was another proud moment.
The Truth
August 16th, 2011
7:21 pm
HelluvaEngineer…write back when you’ve enjoyed the comfort of a woman you didn’t have to pay for or blow up
JB
August 16th, 2011
7:22 pm
Jordan……Tech may be looking at AA looking at their last two classes.
ToccoaDawg
August 16th, 2011
7:22 pm
Jordan just look at SEC and my comments above….maybe you can figure it out
Delbert D.
August 16th, 2011
7:22 pm
Beast – I need to spend some quality time in Florida. I’ll apply for some grant money to study the explosion of universities in the state. I’ll use Anthrogeographology with focus on unusual beach life forms.
Paul in NH (formerly RDU)
August 16th, 2011
7:22 pm
Just saying…
August 16th, 2011
6:22 pm
….
Why do you feel the ACC is superior in basketball and academics? Basketball in a given year maybe, but certainly not in others. Not in the past decade.
—
Let me see. In basketball – maybe because the ACC has 5 NCs from 3 different schools since 2001 while the SEC has 2 (from UF).
In academics – maybe because the ACC has 7 schools ranked in the top 50 in the US, 5 AAU members and no tier 3 schools while the SEC has 3 schools ranked in the top 50 (Vandy, UF, UGA), 2 AAU members. and 2 tier 3 schools (Ole Miss and MSU)
SEC Rules
August 16th, 2011
7:22 pm
Sorry Mark but you and the SEC Commissioner are wrong if you read the pulse of many of the teams mentioned and all the press that has occurred in the last couple of days. Oklahoma will not come to the SEC without OSU go read the Oklahoma papers…they also prefer the Big 12 if Texas stays and simply add Houston/TCU or anyone else…BYU??? FSU is not the sure bet many SEC fans assume. Read the media out of Tallahassee! Virginia Tech is flat out staying in the ACC – read the remarks by their president and AD. They have stated there is absolutely no way they move to the SEC unless the ACC implodes. And these remarks are from potential teams to say nothing of the internal rift the SEC has getting any of them invited. I voted Clemson in your poll simply because of the lack of comments coming from their corner of the universe. Silence = Yes, we’ll be SEC bound??? Will South Carolina be able to stop such a move? Will the SEC have to drop to West Virginia or Louisville? The commissioners response that he could get 4 teams in 15 minutes might be true but it likely will not be the cream of crop many suppose. Political spin may seem like WVU was the first choice – but they are likely more like choice 6, 7, or 8 but the only ones willing. If doubters exist…go to those other cities and states and read what is being declared by the fans, alumni, school, etc….People aren’t rioting the streets to join our cutthroat league. Only A&M is to get rid of the HUGE Texas advantage. The SEC is a much more partial league to that one not so over other leagues.
Nate
August 16th, 2011
7:22 pm
I’m a Tech fan, but I think VT is probably the best fit for the SEC. I would love to see GT renew rivalries with the likes of Auburn and Alabama, but the truth hurts, and GT will not be back in the SEC anytime soon.
The Truth
August 16th, 2011
7:23 pm
For those of you Johnny-come-lately’s, Tech was an original member of the SEC. They apparently thought they could do better on their own. We all see how that’s turned out.
JB
August 16th, 2011
7:23 pm
Damn truth, I labeled you a Techie earlier. My bad.
buzzer
August 16th, 2011
7:23 pm
I Guarantee you that the SEC doesn’t want to see Paul Johnson’s option week in and week out. Not sure we have the depth yet to compete with the SEC elite, but over the last 3 years, we certainly have had the depth to go down to the wire with the Dogs.
Get your Hot Dogs and Hamburgers
August 16th, 2011
7:24 pm
JB
Thats why GT is located right square in the middle of the crime capital of America
Fits the fanbase just right
Jordan
August 16th, 2011
7:25 pm
Alright I didn’t see the comments. I still think that they should let bygones be bygones at bring the Yellow Jackets back in.
Silver Dawg
August 16th, 2011
7:25 pm
Just had a vision. What if college football ends up with 4-5 mega conferences with each one having it’s own championship game, of course, and from that a plus one for the NC.
What’s wrong with selecting Texas Tech as the 14th team. We already play Auburn every year anyway.
Chris ()
August 16th, 2011
7:26 pm
Clemson makes no sense. Small market already controlled by SC and the sec. VT Fsu Am and Ok make the most sense
m
August 16th, 2011
7:26 pm
buzzer
August 16th, 2011
7:23 pm
I Guarantee you that the SEC doesn’t want to see Paul Johnson’s option week in and week out. Not sure we have the depth yet to compete with the SEC elite, but over the last 3 years, we certainly have had the depth to go down to the wire with the Dogs.
I TOTALLY AGREE
The Truth
August 16th, 2011
7:26 pm
JB – I’ve defiintely slung my share of barbs, but them’s fightin’ words! lol
Kathleen
August 16th, 2011
7:27 pm
Mark,
I agree….I’m a Gator and have no interest in FSU sharing in the SEC wealth!!!!
Delbert D.
August 16th, 2011
7:27 pm
Paul, are you lost?
Colleyville2
August 16th, 2011
7:27 pm
A&M will leave eventually for the same reasons Nebraska and Colorado did, uneven revenue sharing between members. The Big 12 was doomed from the start with a plan like that and it only got worst after they left because the remaining schools had nowhere to jump except down and UT knew it and shoved the Network deal down everyones throat too. If the NCAA had not stepped in couple of weeks ago UT would be showing texas high school games on thier network giving them additional advatages and more money.
The big 12 was the only conference set up this way and UT is doing all this for the worst of reasons… THEY CAN!
Joe Tech
August 16th, 2011
7:28 pm
Why not cut your dead wood (Vandy and uga) and keep it at 12?
The Truth
August 16th, 2011
7:29 pm
M – do you have a “Moral Victory” banner for that accomplishment going up at the Joke by Coke during this season’s opener?
BAMA STAN
August 16th, 2011
7:29 pm
buzzer
August 16th, 2011
7:23 pm
I Guarantee you that the SEC doesn’t want to see Paul Johnson’s option week in and week out. Not sure we have the depth yet to compete with the SEC elite, but over the last 3 years, we certainly have had the depth to go down to the wire with the Dogs.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAH! TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Murders row
August 16th, 2011
7:29 pm
If you are VT or Fsu, why would you want to go to a conference where you have to play 6 games a year against incredibly hard opponents. And why would you want to coach those teams? You would want to stay where you pkay 2-3 hard opponents a year. It’s all about winning championships and sorry but dilution kills that. If this happens you will see 3 loss sec teams complain they deserve a better ranking over a 0 or 1 loss team from another conference. And to that I say, you shoulda stayed.
JB
August 16th, 2011
7:29 pm
buzzer, We’ve been living in the basement the last three years and have been put on probation by the commissioners office for impersonating a ACC team. Going toe to toe with us the last three years ain’t nothing to brag about. See Tech Bowl game against Iowa for how they do against talented, fast teams. A loss sport. Running up stats on a group of ACC teams impresses few.
The Truth
August 16th, 2011
7:31 pm
Joe Tech – don’t you have a World of Warcraft game to attend to? Last I checked, UGA has handled your merry band of midgets even in it’s worst times over the past 10 years.
Mike
August 16th, 2011
7:31 pm
Gt was 2-1 against the sec two years ago nearly went 3-0 so enough about how tough the sec is. You benefit from two teams, bama and uf and lucked out with cam last year. This year is wide open and only bama looks like they have a chance to go to the NC but I see them losing 2.
Marcus
August 16th, 2011
7:31 pm
I don’t understand why the SEC wants Texas A&M. Is it because they can’t get Texas?
I know Texas has good players to recruit, but outside of the Longhorns I can’t see any of their programs that would elevate the SEC? A&M is a .500 program, and they’ve never been good in my lifetime except for the late 80s and early 90s when they got put on probation three different times.
Texas Tech? They are just A&M-West with a few less NCAA probations. Baylor/SMU/Houston etc? no need to even elaborate on them.
If we want to recruit Texas we should just get Oklahoma. They recruit Texas better than anyone except The University of Texas.
A&M is just watering down the conference as is any other school from that state not named Texas.
icedawg
August 16th, 2011
7:32 pm
Bring GATek back in and Texas A&M. FSU would be a good fit, too.
Get your Hot Dogs and Hamburgers
August 16th, 2011
7:32 pm
“certainly had the depth”
No you just lost to a poorly coached team
TRUTH
Paul in NH (formerly RDU)
August 16th, 2011
7:33 pm
Delbert – Not lost. I am now in NH. I’ve been working up here since the end of March and closed on the sale of my house in Raleigh a little over a week ago. Had to go where the job took me.
country boy
August 16th, 2011
7:33 pm
SEC should be careful with VA Tech – they may be a one trick pony. Before Frank Beamer they were nothing in football and may well amount to nothing after his coaching days.
Delbert D.
August 16th, 2011
7:34 pm
Bring back Tulane. That will wrap up the New Orleans TV market. I don’t think they could pull the big New Iberia market from the University of Louisiana, though; Lafayette is too close. For people of recent birth, Tulane really was in the SEC.
buzzer
August 16th, 2011
7:34 pm
BJ:
“See Tech Bowl game against Iowa for how they do against talented, fast teams”.
We lost by 10. How’d you do against Central Florida A & M?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA….HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!
mdc
August 16th, 2011
7:34 pm
tony barnhart is a blowhart…he may know some things but is horrible on the radio
BrotherHOg
August 16th, 2011
7:35 pm
I would like to see an ACC team handle the SEC schedule week in and week out.
JB
August 16th, 2011
7:35 pm
Rivals has Tech ranked pre season at 64 th this year, Say’s their string of 14 straight bowl games ( mostly losses) is in danger of being missed. Question. Shouldn’t a new hire going into year four have the program on the uptick? Looks like he’s tanking over there.
5150 UOAD
August 16th, 2011
7:36 pm
Orson Charles under investigation as linked to the Swartz guy paying players at Miami.
5150 UOAD
August 16th, 2011
7:37 pm
mdc
like Buck or Pollack are any good?
BAMA STAN
August 16th, 2011
7:37 pm
You Georgia schools crack me up.
S
H
R
E
V
E
P
O
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IT’S THE BEST YOU GUYS CAN HOPE FOR!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!