Comments on: More Expansion? The SEC Should Just Leap To 20 Teams And Be Done With It

By: JeremyCain

JeremyCain — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 19:29:29 +0000

Clemson, FSU, and GT would not be fits in the SEC because they would not bring new t.v. Markets with them.

By: SouthernBoiSB

SouthernBoiSB — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 03:13:38 +0000

@rogun I was playing around with it today & couldn’t figure out a way to make a 20 team schedule. I thought about 4 pods of 5 teams in terms of breakdown, but how could you divide the teams & yearly rivalry games? Figuring that out would then allow you to see about how long it would take to cycle through everybody once.
& then, on top of that, what about the annual in-state non-conf. rivals some schools have (ex. UGA/GT)?

By: SouthernBoiSB

SouthernBoiSB — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 03:07:47 +0000

@mowens75
& WHAT conference(s) will let Auburn & MS State take 2 games to play longstanding rivals? Aub./Ala. = Iron Bowl (76 times) Aub./UGA = Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry (115 times) MS State/Ala. = (97 times) MS State/Ole Miss = “Egg Bowl” (108 times)

By: WarHog38

WarHog38 — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 02:53:14 +0000

@Central_VAHokie Yeah, I was a young man years ago and spent a summer in suspense wondering if Broyles & Kramer would ever make a simple decision for Arkansas to enter the SEC. The situation now is many times more technical, many more options. Good Luck!

By: Central_VAHokie

Central_VAHokie — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 02:34:33 +0000

@WarHog38 No need to apologize at all, I did not mean to seem confrontational. Techsideline.com and vtscoop.com have been buzzing about the SEC since expansion-palooza began with aTm and Mizzou. Techsideline even added a separate discussion board devoted exclusively to conference expansion. It had died down a little until this Maryland to the B1G got rolling. Normally this week we’d be bashing UVa and trying to figure out why we won’t fire our OC. Now? We’re all worried we’ll be left behind in a basketball league. There is a large contingent of the fanbase, myself included, that would jump at the chance to go.

By: WarHog38

WarHog38 — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 02:18:27 +0000

@Central_VAHokie Your Gobbler Country and Andy Bitter blogs come to mind, but I’ve been on others. I have a comment on that Bitter-”Beamer and Terps’ departure” article right now. It has a VT rub to it, It has sat on a VT blog for 24 hours not raising an eyebrow. I put something slightly negative about Alabama on this Blog, I guarantee in a few hours I will come here and I will feel like a pit bull has me by the leg. I made that mistake a few times years ago, that’s sinful down here! I’ll take you for your word. I have nothing to settle with VT. Your business, no more negativity from me. Accept my apology!

By: Central_VAHokie

Central_VAHokie — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 22:57:28 +0000

@WarHog38 Which VT sites have you visited to reach the conclusion that there is “not much SEC passion by VT fans”? Because we’d give our first born to be 15 or 16 in the SEC! The admin…that’s another issue. But the fanbase would LOVE to be in the SEC.

By: BamaWahoo

BamaWahoo — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 14:07:43 +0000

@WarHog38 I’m a Bama born and bred UVA grad. I would be absolutely thrilled to be in the SEC. And while in theory I’d prefer for it to be UVA and UNC, I agree with your assessment about UNC’s entitlement and the Duke thing. Perhaps UNC and Duke to B1G, UVA and NC St. to SEC, VT, GT, FSU, Clemson, Pitt, Louisville to B12. If I were king…

Poor Wake. No idea how this works out well for them.

By: WarHog38

WarHog38 — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:33:38 +0000

I’ve been on a lot of VT, NC St. and North Carolina Blogs, I’ve developed opinions I’ll state here. The administrators at VT are a bunch of intense ACC fans, they talk the ACC up to the max. Not much SEC passion by VT fans either. Anyone can say it means nothing. However I’d take Virginia. As far is North Carolina, NC State has a bunch of passionate football fans that dream of an SEC invite. North Carolina will always resent not having Duke anymore and they are use to being treated special in that ACC conference. I look at NC State as TAM. NC as Texas. I don’t think Texas or NC would be happy in the SEC. Virginia and NC State are probably the best choices. I’m from Arkansas, I have no hidden bias. I’ve driven through those places a couple times is it.

By: rogun

rogun — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:02:56 +0000

Good stuff John!

I’m sure that I haven’t studied it as much as you have, but I actually think 16 teams would make scheduling easier then it is today. Fourteen teams can work, but I think the craziness began when we expanded to have that many, because it’s so unwieldy. It seems like 16 teams would only add some balance, as far as scheduling is concerned.

Twenty just seems like too many. A conference that large is really nothing more then 2 conferences under the same umbrella. For all the criticism Georgia has faced for having easy conference schedules recently, can you imagine the potential disparity in a 20 team conference?

Yea, I know you were being facetious, but it doesn’t sound like it’s so far-fetched, either, which I think we both can agree is unfortunate.

By: WarHog38

WarHog38 — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 07:57:57 +0000

As far as what you wrote about what works best for a conference, the SEC probably passed it when it went past 12. The SEC has now moved into the realm of being more like 2 conferences in very close association, that is when that 8 game schedule gets set. Past 16 teams and even if going to a 9 game SEC schedule; you can forget the very close association part. The SEC would be 2 separate conferences, pods or however you cut it. The SEC should now get that 16 team southern state footprint, STOP THEIR EXPANSION, then go to a 9 game SEC schedule. That should set the SEC for another 75 years. These limits should be written into SEC By-Laws!

By: AllTideUp

AllTideUp — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 05:07:59 +0000

I agree these leagues should go ahead and get it all done in one fail swoop. I know you were being a little facetious John, but this seems to be where it’s all heading anyway. Might as well get it over with so everyone can adapt to the new order of doing business.

By: buddha22

buddha22 — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 01:10:24 +0000

Just think what happens if deLoss dodds gets together with Jack Swarbrink and decides to consumate their flirtations in the B12 …. or the ACC? $$$$$$, especially in ACC. Imagine the ACC may be motivated to give ND/UT a little leeway with their networks.
Obviously, the B12 would be picked apart then as it would be dead conference walking.

By: BonzaiB

BonzaiB — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:10:50 +0000

@John at MrSEC I was laughing about two sentences into your article. Think you have written about 60 articles on the perils of expansionism and where it could lead college leaders into traps. This was by far the best (in my humble opinion).

By: BonzaiB

BonzaiB — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:08:46 +0000

@John at MrSEC @Tusk Okay, I’ll admit that one has me stumped, which of course means it was really well played. I feel so uneducated.

By: John at MrSEC

John at MrSEC — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:59:26 +0000

@Tusk

Any reference to Sewanee or the Tigers’ fight song gets a thumbs-up around here. Well played.

Thanks for reading the site,
John

By: Tusk

Tusk — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:03:58 +0000

Bring back Sewanee! (Still the best fight song ever)

By: mowens75

mowens75 — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:10:57 +0000

4 to 6 – 16 team conferences would not be bad. I do think the SEC should go hard after one of the Carolina schools (most likely NC State) and go after a Virginia school (Virginia would fit great and not V.Tech). Also think we should drop Auburn and MS State since we have 2 schools in those states already. After that then go after Oklahoma and Kansas. Then you would have some good rivalaries back and some new ones. Move Alabama to the east and each east team plays 7 games against division and 2 alternating games a year vs the west. They would play all 8 teams in the other division in 4 years. This would be a great conference. Big 10 should go after UNC and G.Tech to add to tv markets in the east/south. Big 12 should go hard after FSU and Louisville and then work on some of the other ACC teams. Pac 12 then can take some of the left over Texas schools and all is settled.

By: John at MrSEC

John at MrSEC — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:47:47 +0000

@BonzaiB

I was afraid my attempt to point out the absurdity of all these moves would be lost on some, so thanks for your response!

I had no trouble with Nebraska moving or Texas A&M and Missouri or Syracuse and Pitt or Colorado and Utah… but at some point someone needs to take a breath and see how those moves will play out. I really think the Big Ten’s moves this week will only lead to more moves until we’re eventually left with four 20-team conferences. At that point, just toss out all tradition and cross the ol’ fingers that that business model will work. Ugh.

As always, thanks for reading,
John

By: I4Bama

I4Bama — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:36:09 +0000

“Oh, they’ll all wind up lining their wallets for a while, but whether or not that’s good for sports or individual conferences or schools remains to be seen.”

This is really the key. The Big Ten is playing subpar football now. But for being home to many states’ banner-carriers and colleges with boatloads of money, it would be the Big East already. They are watering down their football in the name of cash, something they already possess in stacks. Furthermore, while the two teams belong to massive TV audiences that are not going anywhere, neither team carries any actual weight in those markets. It is a short-term win that will seal their long term fate – irrelevancy. Mike Slive should sit, smile, and have a Coke and some Golden Flake potato chips. You are correct.

By: DanHogan

DanHogan — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:54:45 +0000

There are two stories that haven’t been covered yet. The first is divisions, but you guys don’t care about that (Illinois moves over). The other is number of conf games. Don’t be at all surprised if the B1G goes to 9 games.

By: BonzaiB

BonzaiB — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:28:42 +0000

I think you are being too conventional in your expansion suggestions. 2 x 10 team divisions in the SEC is not as good as 4 x 8 team divisions. The SEC Southeast division would have SC, UF, GA, Miss, Miss State, UT, Vandy and FSU. The SEC Southcentral would have Auburn, Alabama, La, Mizzou, Kentucky, Pitt, Virgina, Virginia Tech, SEC Southwest would have Texas A&M, Arkansas, Texas, LaTech, …………………..

By: DanHogan

DanHogan — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:53:47 +0000

I’m not sure UConn to the ACC would be all that hasty. That’s been debated for years. The hastiness comes if the Big East makes another odd move here. That whole thing feels like a house of cards that could go either way.