SEC discusses expansion, distributes $209M in revenue (UPDATED)
(Updated 8 p.m.)
DESTIN, Fla. – Amid speculation of a massive shakeup in some of college athletics’ major conferences, the SEC quantified Friday just how well the current structure is working for its members.
The SEC completed its four-day spring meetings by announcing that it will distribute a record $209 million to its 12 members this year, $17.4 million per school –- up 58 percent from last year’s distribution of $11 million per school.
The increased payout, which is slightly higher than most projections, stems largely from the SEC’s new television contracts with ESPN and CBS. The payout also includes funds generated by the league’s football championship game and bowl games, as well as its men’s basketball tournament and its cut from NCAA championship events.
The financial bonanza is particularly notable at a time when at least two major conferences, the Big Ten and Pac-10, are trying to add schools and another, the Big 12, appears in danger of collapse.
Rumors of conference realignment and expansion have permeated college athletics for six months, gaining volume the past two days with reports that the Pac-10 is on the verge of inviting half of the Big 12 to join its ranks.
The presidents and chancellors of the SEC schools discussed the issue of expansion at length during a three-hour meeting Friday, emerging with no change from the league’s oft-stated position that it will analyze any moves by other conferences “strategically and thoughtfully” and act or react if appropriate. The consensus among the presidents and chancellors seems to be that they like their league as currently constituted but do not rule out adding members if the landscape changes substantially.
“‘Strategic and thoughtful’ could mean doing nothing, no matter what anybody else does. And it could mean doing something,” SEC commissioner Mike Slive said after the meetings adjourned. “It’s just designed to say that we have maximum flexibility in how we approach this issue.
“We are very comfortable where we are now. If nothing happened [in other leagues], we would be very comfortable [staying] where we are now. And no matter what happens, we may find ourselves very comfortable where we are now. But we may not.”
Slive declined to say whether the SEC has talked with any school(s) about the possibility of joining the league. But he suggested it’s no coincidence most of the expansion talk is emanating elsewhere.
“In fact there may be some other leagues that have some needs they’re trying to fill,” he said.
LSU Chancellor Michael Martin said “circumstances” nationally could influence the SEC on expansion but added that the league’s financial strength gives it flexibility on how to approach the issue.
“If the world changes in the future,” he said, “then I guess we’ll have to be there to see it.”
For now, the SEC is expanding in one area: revenue.
While conference-to-conference comparisons on revenue distributions cannot be fairly drawn because leagues are inconsistent in what revenue they share and how they divvy it up, the SEC was celebrating its financial results.
“This meeting, with the new [TV] contract and all, may be as much a celebration as any one I’ve seen in 13 years,” University of Georgia President Michael Adams said when he arrived at the Sandestin Hilton at mid-week.
Of the $209 million the SEC is distributing, 72 percent was produced by football, including $109.5 million from television contracts, $26.5 million from bowl games and $14.5 million from the conference championship game in Atlanta.
The remainder of the money came from basketball television ($30 million), the league’s men’s basketball tournament ($5 million) and NCAA championship events ($23.5 million).
The leap in the cumulative distribution from last year’s $132.5 million to this year’s $209 million marked the 21st consecutive year the payout has increased. The distribution has more than doubled since 2003.
“It’s an extraordinary growth,” Slive said.
The league expects the growth to continue, with or without expansion, although the major bump from the new TV contracts came this year. The contracts do have provisions allowing for renegotiation if the number of schools in the league increases.
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265 comments Add your comment
Fillin' up @ Juniors
June 4th, 2010
3:19 pm
Otto, ACC has FSU and Miami…they dont need a foothold in Florida they already have one. If the SEC gets its hands on FSU or Miami then the ACC will want USF to keep it position.
GT has plenty of support…but 7 years of Chan Gailey 7-6 football killed momentum…it back with PJ…Our home schedule this year sucks and yet season tickets are way up. We’ll be just fine. And we have kept playing SEC schools since we left, so there will be plenty of hatred to fuel rivalries. The Auburn sereis, Vandy series, Miss St. Seris, Alabama and of course UGA…we’re half in this conference anyway… PS(we have winning record against SEC opponents over the 7 or so years, even with a 1-6 against UGA, ouch)
The bashing of our women…is warrented. I had to outsource to South Carolina to find me a women. She thought she was getting an engineer HA! fooled her I was an accountant…muhaha
LSUTiger111
June 4th, 2010
3:19 pm
TCU, Cincinnatti, East Carolina, VA Tech or PITT
Otto
June 4th, 2010
3:20 pm
RDR, The spread is the HS offense of choice now. Who runs the option in HS?
LSUTiger111
June 4th, 2010
3:21 pm
The SEC should take Cincy. A new state = new TVs and more money. Plus it is on the state line with Kentucky and not too far from UK. I can see Ohio State sweating now, with SEC coaches recruiting Ohio
E.C. 101
June 4th, 2010
3:21 pm
Hey Tim Tucker,
With the current economic situation, could the development of “Mega” Conferences actually cause harm to the sport of college football? Imagine being a Texas Longhorns fan and having to travel from Austin Texas to LA, Oregon, and Washington one year then to Wash St, LA, Oregon State, etc the next. Not as financially friendly as trips closer to home. Could the average fan afford such lofty travel expenses? Would fans skip on a home game or 2, so they could travel and watch their team play out west?
What if the SEC does get a Texas school? Would UF, UA,AU, UGA fans, etc travel such a long and expensive distance every couple of years? I can barely afford Jacksonville into my current budget.
As far as revenue is concerned, would we see a drastic decline in attendance? If so, how would that off set the gain of added TV $ and “prestige?”
Fillin' up @ Juniors
June 4th, 2010
3:21 pm
RDR…that little high school offense has owned its SEC opponents…what does that say for your SEC defenses?
LSUTiger111…really…thats your list? Where do i start? have you only been watching football for 1 year? Is that why you picked all the latest “hot teams”.
LSUTiger111
June 4th, 2010
3:23 pm
Texas and Texas A&M are headed west. I hope the SEC goes after TCU so we can have a presence in the second largest state in America. Plus, I would enjoy seeing the Tigers play a Saturday night game in the Dallas Fort Worth area.
LSUTiger111
June 4th, 2010
3:24 pm
We don’t need “hot” teams – we need new states for revenue. Anybody that thinks adding a Clemson or FSU to a state the SEC already has is clueless
Tide Rising
June 4th, 2010
3:25 pm
Austin, Texas
Bragging about the huge size of Texas’s endowment? One reason Texas has a huge endowment is that the university has always owned and been endowed with several huge tracts of land that have profitable oil leases. You bragging about your endowment is like the Saudi’s bragging about how successful they are. No. You’re not all that great. You just had the good fortune of sitting on a pile of oil. That’s all.
Fillin' up @ Juniors
June 4th, 2010
3:26 pm
E.C. 101
The PAC-16 would divid up into the Pacfic and Southwestern conferences, which would mean you would play most of your games against the same opponents you do today and basically only be traveling to the other conference once a year, so the 16 team format with two geographically located conferences doesnt hurt travel too bad…
As for that one big flight a year, do you remember UGA fans going to the Arizona State game…I think for the big games they will, even if it costs a little extra. The big cost is for the non revenue generating sports…
Anti-alternative
June 4th, 2010
3:26 pm
Otto, agreed. Clemson currently has the fans and the stadium. GT, though, brings better basketball and academics, similar (dead even in the series) baseball to Clemson, and solid all-around non-revenue sports programs.
In time GT’s fanbase and stadium would grow. SEC affiliation would be an instant re-ignition of a fanbase that at one time boasted the biggest stadium in the South. I think Atlantans would show up to GT in full force to see them play Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, etc. (even if they pull for Tech and watch on TV they won’t show up to see Tech play NC State, Wake, Boston College, Virginia, UNC, etc.) The SEC would change everything. Those fans live in the SEC’s epicenter. The season starts there and ends there. They’ll show up for those matchups guaranteed. Ten years and GT would look and feel like a current SEC program on the field, and I’ll bet the stadium grows to at least 70k at that point. Clemson would be like that too, obviously, but I still place my argument on the academic and non-revenue sports side. GT is bigger (and growing) than Clemson and has more to offer outside of the football program. Oh, and GT has girls…they’re called Management majors. They all live in sorority houses and only come out for football games. Tailgate in the Greek district sometime…you’ll see ‘em.
Bottom line – Tech aint Texas, but it aint bad. If the SEC needs to lock up the South, GT needs to be considered along with Clemson, VT, UNC, and FSU. My 2 cents.
LSUTiger111
June 4th, 2010
3:26 pm
I think the SEC might be pushed to the Southeast corner. We will still be strong – but how strong against a PAC-16 or Big-16?
Otto
June 4th, 2010
3:26 pm
Juniors, I was assuming FSU and Miami were grabbed up by the SEC.
USF would be a re entry into FL in that scenario.
Congrats on scheduling teams from the SEC again. Hope to see it cotinue. What were Vandy’s and MSU’s records in the SEC those years?
E.C. 101
June 4th, 2010
3:27 pm
Fillin’
Good points.
Tide Rising
June 4th, 2010
3:29 pm
LSUTiger111,
Forget about TCU. They are small potatoes in terms of both attendance and tv viewership. No matter how good their teams are they have trouble putting 40,000 in their stadium. Imagine how small their following would be if they had bad teams. In any event the drawing TCU would bring would be similar to the drawing that Tulane would bring in LA. or that UAB would bring in the state of Alabama. Not much.
Lane Kiffin's Bottom Bitch
June 4th, 2010
3:29 pm
LSUTiger111 you are absolutely right about new states. So many posting here are thinking in small terms and not looking at a the big picture. IMHO there is nothing bad about Tech or Clemson except that neither bring a market that the SEC does not already have.
RDR
June 4th, 2010
3:30 pm
Fillin’ up @ Juniors
June 4th, 2010
3:21 pm
RDR…that little high school offense has owned its SEC opponents…what does that say for your SEC defenses?
Yeah I saw where pee jay really beat up on vandy and msu last year. Of course the big dawg kind of stuffed it and LSU destroyed it. Who else have you played in the sec with pee jay? I did see where tech coward out of the deal with bama in 2012. Pitiful!
Otto
June 4th, 2010
3:30 pm
Anti-Alternative, If the AD made the correct hires I think you are correct. Is CPJ that guy? There is one way to find out.
I could see GT being a very solid SEC team.
Fillin' up @ Juniors
June 4th, 2010
3:33 pm
Your list of schools were ..TCU, Cincinnatti, East Carolina, VA Tech or PITT…and I am the clueless one?
lets see you pick up two BCS schools, one of which had two good seasons ever and has just lost its coach the other of which plays in a conference that is courting Boise State and would become a defacto BCS conference in the process…then you add in two Big East schools that both finally had decent back to back season but who have pathetic fan bases in pro sport cities were college football is like 5th sport, one of which lost its coach, and lastly you think you can pry VT away without figuring in that no school jumps from a BCS conference without a partner…VT is staying put unless the SEC raid the ACC for more than one team…And you think any of those team would bring more revenue than FSU and Clemson???? I feel bad even arguing with you…read more talk less…
Anti-alternative
June 4th, 2010
3:33 pm
Does anyone know if the SEC basketball broadcasting rights are bundled with football? Because if they’re bundled I think the case for ACC schools (and GT in particular) bringing something valuable to the SEC grows a little more. Negotiating power with the media for basketball season is a good thing to add.
Leroy Duke
June 4th, 2010
3:45 pm
As usual, the kid that keeps insisting that GT ( my alma mater ) has more SEC titles than UGA is a fool or a liar. Either way, he has no math skills. Probably, he is really some Atlanta public school kid at home, banging away on a keypad while his mom supports him. That expalins why he cannot comprehend lower levels of math.
L Duke, class of 53@ GT
Fillin' up @ Juniors
June 4th, 2010
3:52 pm
45 UGA 2008
38 Miss State 2008
3 LSU 2008 Chickf bowl
42 miss State 2009
56 vandy 2009
24 UGA 2009
the high school offense against the SEC…34.6 points per game…
Facts > Opinion
Fillin' up @ Juniors
June 4th, 2010
3:59 pm
I did see where tech coward out of the deal with bama in 2012. Pitiful!
I seemed like a mutual decision, neither school felt like the risk was worth the reward. As a fan i think it is pitiful, I dont care the risk I want to see the two schools renew their rivalry…but I think Tech got more heat from it than UA… From what I read UA didn’t like the idea of wasting a week of practice on a strange offense with the risk being a damaging lose, while the reward being little…GT saw that same thing, it had enough on the schedule to go undefeated and gain a NC, why risk a UA defeat…
All together lame, but lets not blame GT totally…I know you will but you have been both biased and without fact on every post so I dont expect you to change.
Paul in RDU
June 4th, 2010
4:00 pm
I have no idea which schools may change conferences, but I’ll give you 3 that won’t leave the ACC on their own for the SEC.
1) VT. When the ACC raided the Big East, VT was initially on the outside looking in (the ACC wanted BC, UM and the Cuse). The state legislators in VA pitched a fit and UVA was basically ordered to vote against expansion of the ACC unless VT was invited. Having pulled that little stunt (which turned out well for VT and the ACC – not so much for UVA) there is no way that VT will leave for the SEC unless UVA gets to go as well.
2) UNC. Not going anywhere unless Duke and NCState go too – and the SEC won’t be going after Duke
3) NC State – see UNC
Paul in RDU
June 4th, 2010
4:03 pm
anti-alternative Unlike the ACC where the b’ball broadcasting rights will be bundled with f’ball, my understanding is that the SEC has them separate. The SEC’s football rights are worth way more than the ACC’s while in b’ball it’s the other way around (albeit with b’ball rights being a fraction of the football rights)
RDR
June 4th, 2010
4:05 pm
Fillin’ up @ Juniors
June 4th, 2010
3:59 pm
Just another reason tech doesn’t need to be considered for a spot in the SEC………………can you imagine d rad cowering out of every tough game on the sec schedule? the team would end up with a schedule much like they have now filled with a she she opponents and a couple of d2 and d3 schools. hopefully tech will just stay where they are and save themselves from any further embarrassment even though it is quite humorous to a dawg.
Otto
June 4th, 2010
4:10 pm
Miss. St ‘08/’09 2-5 in the SEC each yr.
Vanbdy ‘09 2-10 overall 0-7 in the SEC.
GLenn
June 4th, 2010
4:11 pm
Well it should be clear now that we need a playoff system .
RDR
June 4th, 2010
4:12 pm
Otto
June 4th, 2010
4:10 pm
exactly. i don’t think the switch has gone “on” yet for junior.
Fillin' up @ Juniors
June 4th, 2010
4:36 pm
RDR you asked for scores I gave you scores…Vandy and Miss st didn’t give up 36.6 points on average to their SEC opponents… which would indicated that GT offense was infact superior to most SEC offenses… RDR you really are a moron. If GT were in the SEC their scheduling would not be up to them, and thus could not get out of games, such as the UA v GT game, which was a mutual decision. Morons such as yourself don’t need facts, but I have provided you enough of them to shoot holes in everything you have said. If you are going to write anything more do me a favor and put some analysis, fact, or anything worth my while. Otherwise take your trash back to athens where it came from.
RDR got owned
June 4th, 2010
4:39 pm
Put in his place, like a common looking girl in Miami! Oh Snap!
Dr
June 4th, 2010
4:44 pm
Why do the Dawgs always want to compare themselves to GA Tech when the Gators own them? Compare all you want. You will never win the series in Jacksonville.
Jacket
June 4th, 2010
4:56 pm
The people stating that Tech has more SEC titles than UGA are only counting titles earned when both were in the SEC. It makes no sense to keep making this comparison once one of the schools has left the conference. Using that logic, Tech can claim they have more ACC titles than UGA. And yes, for the thirty+ years they were in the SEC together, Tech won more SEC titles.
Truth
June 4th, 2010
4:58 pm
PAC 10 offers multiple Big 12 schools to join – including Texas. Texas states that it would rather join PAC 10 than SEC (duh!).
Big 10 will absorb Nebraska and a couple of other Big 12 schools.
The Big East will be split up and go to ACC and SEC. Or, the other ‘minor’ conferences such as Conference USA will be gobbled up by the ACC and SEC and Big East.
In the end, there will be about 5 super conferences for college sports.
PAC-16? « Playing With Politics
June 4th, 2010
5:21 pm
[...] — a rumor that has already been swirling, to which A&M athletic director Bill Byrne told the Houston Chronicle, “It might be [true]. You know what? It might be.” In need of a 14th team to even the [...]
Try some consistency Tech fans
June 4th, 2010
5:58 pm
Techers go on all year long, year in and year out about they know the ACC is so much better than the SEC because ” ……………….blah, blah, blah.
Tehn, along comes the cruel rumor ( cruel for Tech ) that the SEC might take some new members and Ga Tech just might be one of them. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHA
Tech is begging to get in th back door again ………..like they did in the late 70s. AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHA
The door is forever slammed on Tech. Watch the replies like ” we hate the low level SEC” or “we know that we are brainiacs and we are THE ACC” and we this and we that. FOOLS THEY ARE AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA
Voice of Reason
June 4th, 2010
6:14 pm
I saw College Football Live this afternoon and it certainly seems this pac 10 thing is valid. If so the SEC should be proactive, don’t sit around and wait until the pac 10 and the big 11 make their picks. From all accounts I have read Tx A&M would like to be in the SEC. To get into the Texas TV markets is something the SEC should be proactive about. If Texas and Tx A&M are joined at the hip and Texas wants no part of the SEC that may slow the whole thing down. I have trouble believing Tx A&M wants to be part of the pac 10.
DAWG07
June 4th, 2010
6:53 pm
Texas for the SEC west and Ga Tech or Clemson for the east.
Coach Small Johnson
June 4th, 2010
7:24 pm
I heard Tech will be joining the no one cares conference with Ga State and Furman
Coach Small Johnson
June 4th, 2010
7:26 pm
Ga Tech commands no TV audience therefore we do not need them
THE ROCK
June 4th, 2010
7:39 pm
I WOULD VOTE FOR SEC EXPANSION BY GETTING 4 TEAMS FROM THE ACC . TAKE FLA STATE,MIAMI,CLEMSON & VA TECH . THESE ARE ALL 4 PRIMARY FOOTBALL SCHOOLS WITH STADIUMS THAT SEAT WELL OVER 50,000 . UNLIKE THE NORTH AVENUE TRADE SCHOOL.THEY LEFT THE SEC ONCE . DO NOT GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO COME BACK . TECH COULD GO TO THE BIG EAST OR CONFERENCE USA.
Dawg Fan
June 4th, 2010
7:56 pm
Move UA & AU to S.E.C East
Add Texas & A&M to the S.E.C. West
Sorry gt nerds need not apply. But don’t be so sad because I have a plan for you too.
(1) Drop out of the ACC and become an Independent. (2) Start marketing to your foreign student population. (3) Tap into the Indian & Asian TV market
Old Gold
June 4th, 2010
8:00 pm
Hey “Coach Small Johnson”: Actually GSU is beginning to create quite a “buzz”. Its about time the folks in Atlanta had something to get excited about.
SILLY UGA FANS
June 4th, 2010
8:04 pm
RDR,
Thank you for proving a point in that some of you socalled UGA fans have no college football knowledge at all. You say GT could not get in the SEC because of our HS offense. Miss St. runs an option offense and what’s that other team that uses an option offense wait wait don’t tell me it will come to me. Oh that’s right it’s UF that dominates you every year.
What I meant about the foriegn students not knowing what football is that when there they don’t go and after they graduate they don’t come back. UGA on the other hand has graduates that stay close to home and brainwash their kids from birth to attend.
Coach Small Johnson
June 4th, 2010
8:05 pm
Hopefully
Ga State will take Techs position and the Trade from North Ave can get out of athlectics and focus more on its research and studies for Janitorial Engineering
SILLY UGA FANS
June 4th, 2010
8:20 pm
One other thing if as you say GT does not command any attention when it comes to TV then why does ESPN pick GT for the thursday night game almost yearly? Why can’t some of you just admit it scares the hell out of you that GT would enter back into the SEC and be on a more level recruiting level and then you would not have the talent level advantage that you sometimes enjoy? Have fun going 7-5 again oh wait you did what you claim GT does and fixed a schedule to allow you a 9-3 season so congrats. THWG
Coach Small Johnson
June 4th, 2010
8:31 pm
I will tell you why ESPN picks Tech on Thursday night
1. Fans from programs like UGA, FL, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, USC raise h#ll
2. Fans from theses schools have sold out games with stadiums of 90,000+
3. Thursday night games are not marque high rated games, thats why schools mentioned above do not play on Thursday nights on ESPN
4. Most Thurs night games are with schools like Boise, Idaho, Miss St, Ga Tech, East Carolina,
Radly Dawg
June 4th, 2010
8:35 pm
I miss the old S.E.C…..when it was 10 schools! Money talks…….b.s. come with it!!!! It’s all about the money……geeees!!!!!!!
Radly Dawg
Radly Dawg
June 4th, 2010
8:37 pm
Dawg Fan…..you goit going on…… good buddy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hryder
June 4th, 2010
9:31 pm
In my family, six adults hold 15 college degrees, with at least one from the Big Ten, Pac-10, SEC, and Big 12. Two SEC institutions, four degrees, among the schools, including Georgia, and not one of the schools were selected due to athletic prowess or lack. All were selected due to academic and geographical factors. Unless you are youthful, a standout athlete with professional possibilities, and being activily recruited one would be out of touch with reality to select a school for athletics. We do realize that there does exist many who somehow have the idea that being a big time jock sniffer makes them more acceptable than others. ABSURD!!!!!