Conference Expansion Part 1

Last summer, there was much talk about conference realignment and in some conferences, changes were actually made. The PAC-10 added Colorado and Utah to become the PAC-12. The Big 10 added Nebraska in order to gain a 12th team and the Big 12 lost Nebraska and Colorado so they now have 10 teams. The ACC, SEC, and Big East remained unchange, for now.

Among the three conferences that experienced no change, the SEC had the most speculation surrounding it. There was a lot of talk surrounding the idea of the SEC expanding from 12 teams to 14 or 16 teams. The reasoning behind this possible conference expansion is related to money and market size. The addition of a couple teams will allow the SEC to receive an even larger tv contract from ESPN and CBS. Plus, expanding the conference to more national regions will generate greater popularity and money as well.

So who would the SEC attempt to add to their conference? It's all speculation so everyone has their own opinion, but the team with the most talk is Texas A&M. The SEC would love to expand their market to the state of Texas, but it is unlikely the University of Texas would ever join the SEC given that UT already has their own tv network with ESPN. Therefore, the SEC would take the #2 team in Texas, the Aggies of Texas A&M. This would be a very smart move by the SEC. However, that would give the SEC an odd number of teams. In order to make the divisions even, the SEC would have to add one or three more teams in order to bring the total to 14 or 16 teams. 14 teams definitely seems more likely, so who would be the other team besides Texas A&M?

This is where the ACC comes into play and it's affect on FSU. If the SEC were to ever expand, there is no doubt that atleast one of the teams it adds would come from the ACC. The SEC and ACC share much of the same territory so it only makes sense. There are arguably five reasonable ACC teams that the SEC would consider to invite. They are Clemson, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Miami, and Georgia Tech. I mention these teams based on location and football potential.

Among those five teams, Georgia Tech would be the school less-likely to go to the SEC. Among the five schools, Georgia Tech bring the least amount of football tradition. GT is a relatively small school with a stadium way too small for the SEC. Plus, the University of Georgia is nearby and the Bulldogs already belong to the SEC.

Many of those reasons, except for tradition, are the same reasons why Miami would most likely not be invited to the SEC. The Hurricanes lack a home stadium and their fanbase is not up to par with the SEC teams. The few things Miami brings to the table include excellent TV ratings (better than almost all SEC schools),tradition, and a more southern location.

Virginia Tech would enter the discussion of joining the SEC, but it seems unlikely they would leave the ACC. Virginia Tech would improve the overall talent of the SEC as well as help the SEC expand to the state of Virginia, but I think the ACC is a perfect fit for VT after the move from the Big East so it would be unlikely VT would risk playing in the SEC.

Florida State would no doubt be brought up again as a possible addition to the SEC, just like they were in the 1990's when they switched from being an independent school. FSU would obviously improve the quality of the SEC as well as make it even more popular. FSU would be able to fit in and compete against SEC schools. However, this is one of the main reasons why FSU is unlikely to join the SEC. The SEC wants to add a program that is good enough to improve the quality of the conference, but won't pose a serious threat to schools like UF, Alabama, LSU, and Auburn. There is no way UF would ever agree to allowing FSU play in the SEC, it took them long enough to even allow FSU play them in a non-conference game.

The final possible team is Clemson. I think Clemson is the most likely ACC team to move to the SEC. Clemson is very "SEC-like" in the idea that they always sell-out their games, they have a great fanbase, and have a decent tradition. At the same time, Clemson isn't a team that would win the conference much, which is perfect for the SEC. Like I already mentioned, the SEC wants a good team, but not a team that'll completely takeover the conference. The only negative about Clemson is their location. The SEC already has University of South Carolina so the addition of Clemson wouldn't increase the market size of the SEC.

Conference expansion is only talk right now for the SEC. If anything were to happen, it would be a few years down the road. So any affect that it has against FSU won't be felt anytime soon. However, if the SEC ever does expand, I believe Texas A&M and Clemson are the two most likely teams. Tomorrow I will have Conference Expansion Part 2, which will examine what would happen to the ACC if a team like Clemson were to leave and what teams would be possible replacements for the ACC.