If you’ve been reading this site for the past week, you know that we’ve been a bit skeptical of the so-called “gentleman’s agreement” that supposedly exists among the SEC’s current schools. This pact — which only came to light this week via one or two blogs — supposedly would prevent the league from inviting in any school that happens to be located in a current SEC state.
In other words, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, etc would have no shot at joining the SEC.
First, we believe the only school of that nature with a big enough brand name to warrant actual inclusion is FSU. So aside from the Seminoles, we don’t think this issue amounts to much.
Second — as we wrote yesterday — we’d be surprised and disappointed to learn that Mike Slive and the league’s presidents had agreed to limit their options before even beginning the expansion process. Why rule out FSU — or anyone else — from the get-go?
Third, why did this agreement not come to light last year during Expansionpalooza 2010? We find it odd that someone just learned of it in the past week. Also, our own sources inside the SEC say no such agreement exists. They claim that some schools might band together on their own to block a school like FSU from entering, but it would not be part of some league mandate.
Well the idea of this gentleman’s agreement has apparently been turned into gospel. National reporters are now following the bloggers and pushing this deal as fact rather than rumor. “Clemson, FSU and Georgia Tech are out.” Definitive statements are being made along those lines.
But allow us to once again tap the brakes on this story.
According to The Daily Gamecock, both Steve Spurrier and South Carolina president Harris Pastides opened up last weekend about the possibility of Clemson joining the SEC.
Spurrier said that he would be in favor of Clemson joining the league. And according to James Kratch of Carolina’s student newspaper, Pastides said “while Clemson is not in line to join the league, it is not because USC would ‘block’ it’s entrance but rather because Clemson is not interested in membership.”
Now, Pastides may simply be blowing smoke so it won’t look like there’s some sort of gentleman’s agreement in place, but what would he have to gain from doing so?
And surely Spurrier has been told if there is some sort of rule/agreement/pact barring the possibility of Clemson joining the SEC.
For the conspiracy theorists who will suggest that Spurrier wants to make it look like he’d welcome Clemson while knowing full well that he doesn’t have to worry about it… do you really think Spurrier wouldn’t expect a Clemson veto to come out in the media?
Look, maybe a gentleman’s agreement does exist. A lot of people are saying that’s the case. (Of course a lot of those people are just repeating what they’ve read somewhere else). But we remain suspicious of this claim.
And according to South Carolina officials, it certainly appears that no such agreement would prevent Clemson from being voted into the SEC… if the Tigers wanted an invitation.
