The Seminoles – and sounds like the Tigers and possibly Miami, too – are taking their ball and going…well, who the hell knows? One things for sure, it will likely not be the ACC.
So it’s 200 million to exit soon but our prices are slashed in half if you can make it a little longer!
The thing is…what will the landscape of college football look like in 2029? Will it be the B1GSEC mega conference…and what price will you have to pay to get in?
I wouldn’t put it past Sankey to start thinking about expanding to 18 to match the B1G…so who’s coming along?
Tech?
It has to be a North Carolina school … you make the Tar Holes say no. Then the intrigue begins. Is it the biggest available brand in the biggest state in the footprint (FSU)? Is it the program with recent success and a rabid fan base in a smaller but growing state inside the footprint (Clemson)? Is it focused on a TV market with a former blue blood and a high school talent base (Miami)? Do you expand the footprint into the last remaining “southern” state (UVa or VIrginia Tech)? Do you attempt to dominate North Carolina with a land grant university similar to other SEC schools culturally (NC State along with UNC)?
The one school I don’t see under any circumstances is the North Avenue Trade School. They bring zero value. They don’t even bring the metro area they are located in.
My money says $ankey goes after UNC and Clemson (FSU has burned too many bridges). I personally would prefer both NC schools because that would get me back to my 2nd hometown more often.
NC makes the most sense after that it gets to personal reasons quickly. For me it’s either Clemson or Miami. Our friends in Columbia will say hell no. Would ATM back them up with another vote. FSU burned the bridges with people that are still around. Georgia Tech not even considered as a possible.
If expansion happens does the SEC want more teams than the league up north. It’s possible the conference is too tuff for some already. In the end tv dollars will decide how many teams it will be. Nobody already in is taking a pay cut. Wild card are there any other schools like SMU with alums ready to pay to join the SEC.
Miami metro stretch’s to Palm Beach County making it as large as the Atlanta market. The football talent is everywhere there. The handbags would say no until told it’s them or FSU. If it’s only two NC and the U are my top two.
SEC is going to 20 teams.
First four in…
UNC
FSU
Miami
Clemson
First Four Out
NC State
Va Tech
Nerds
UVA
Wildcards
Houston
SMU
OK State
Maryland
Moonshots
Duke
Suwanee
Tulane
Kansas
Good ranking. And fans get a 9 game conference schedule. 5 in your division 4 crossovers. Might lose Auburn every year but keep Jax. Top 2 in each division are auto-qualifiers to playoff, top 1 from each play SECCG. B1G will do the same with 20. Other conferences will provide filler for playoffs. Only problem Disney will meddle with is lack of interesting OOC games, but $$$$ will entice some opening season games and they may cut a game from regular season to go to 24 in the playoffs. Soccer mom fans and betting bros will swoon on how great this is.
What was the “140 Rule” that the nerds were so upset about when they left the conference?
And man it’s nice to have the comments working again. Can’t say it enough.
Roster limit
I hate everything about this. But I now pretty much hate everything about the off-season. When do the games start?
This should be the final step that officially makes CFB NFL-lite. Once the ACC’s premiere programs (such as they are) get absorbed by the SEC mega-conference, realignment should be effectively complete. Get ready for a 16-team playoff and even more commercialization.
Sec commish is/has been committed to expansion, passing the big whatever and going straight for twenty, what will be ROI/Aquisition costs and the eventual back wash of “when is too many, not enough”, can or will Mickey put the kibosh on big expansion, if the commish is looking at the march madness $$$$$$$, NC, the “U” maybe klempzun, is the commish looking to strengthen the football footprint with the cfp band of merry asswipes, cause you know the big whatever is gonna swallow a couple that the sec doesn’t absorb, what would it take to git ND’s football contract involved (besides more $$$$$$), the sec ain’t broke, could this movement be the commishs, welcome to retirement fund farewell in 2-4 years….since the north avenue Fucking trade school was brought up, they should receive a 5 question e-mail asking them to describe their accomplishments in the last….20 years (stadium downsizing, dragon con, keeping the “Varsity” alive, the dismissal of the experimental WH swag giveaway and a prescription for pocket protectors don’t count)….if CKS thought the traveling schedule for UGA football sucked in 2024, just think of it after the new expansion schedule is gonna’ be after it’s crapped out of a dark closet in b’ham….GO DAWGS!!
Expand to 19…10 game Conference schedule…two fixed annual opponents …play 8-8 every other season…best 2 play for SEC Crown…4 guaranteed playoff slots but not limited to 4. National tournament 4 + 4 + 2 + 2 +1 + 3 at large based on Regular Season ending National Rankings.
The conference has lost the feel of any actual geographic association so I prefer contract but know that ain’t happening. To play along with the subject at hand, if we go to 20, add unc, virginia, ok state & clempsun. Hell no on tech and free shoe community college.
Also if the sec and big 10+ expanse can they squeeze Notre dame out, and make them qualified no higher than a 10 seed.
I don’t think the geographical market matters as much as maybe it used to. The whole sport is trending more national, so I think brands with national appeal (in FB, specifically) are more important than geography. NC football teams are all shit, currently and historically, so I don’t see much value add there. Honestly, for the SEC, I think the bigger motivation would be simply to block the B1G from gaining more of a recruiting footprint in the south.
But, regardless, as others have noted, this all just sucks.
This all dumb. Go back to pre-2024 conferences. Reign in NIL. I am getting to hate all t hings CFB within the span of 1 season.