As Tennessee chancellor Jimmy Cheek announced new athletic director Dave Hart yesterday, the conversation briefly turned to SEC expansion. No surprise there. He was asked where expansion stands and how difficult the process will be. His answers:
“I think we said it real clearly when the SEC presidents and chancellors met recently, we would prefer to stay at 12. If something happens, then we have to reconsider that and we don’t know what implications that would have for us. …
It is very difficult. It is so complex. It’s not just moving in that direction (to) conference realignment. It’s deciding on divisions. It’s deciding on rivalries. It gets extremely complex, having been through the process in the Atlantic Coast Conference going from nine teams to 12. If indeed this becomes a reality, certainly it will cause a ripple effect without a doubt across the country.”
A smokescreen to cover the fact that the SEC already has all it’s ducks in a row? Or an honest admission that things aren’t quite as buttoned up with a Texas A&M entry plan as many believe?
You decide.
