SEC expansion? Discuss!
by BimBamOleMissByDamn on Apr 29, 2010 9:40 AM EDT
Email
PrintThe buzz going around now is the possibility of only four leagues. Super leagues if you will, each having 16 teams. SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Pac-10.
Now, I know there's the "common sense" teams in terms of location, TV market, etc. So discuss your 4 "common sense" teams and then your 4 "who I'd reaaalllllly like to see in the SEC" teams. And maybe even take the two options further in regards to who you'd like to see in the SEC West and SEC East.
Yes, it's all premature, but this is for fun and as I said, to add some football talk during the current baseball season. Premature or not, one of the leagues will be making changes soon and there's no doubt all other leagues will have to react to it. Whether or not the Big Ten or Pac-10 goes to 12 teams, 14 teams or 16 teams would certainly weigh heavily on what the SEC did.
So, discuss!
This post is a Red Cup Rebellion FanPost. Please don't sue us.
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Sorry
I’m expansion out. I get enough of this talk over on the Mountain West blog.
I'm a Rebel, but I bleed the cherry and silver of the Lobos.
I'm with Role Player.
This has been discussed ad nauseum on every other board.
I’ll say this and (maybe) leave it at this: if the Big Televen expands to 14 or 16, we better follow suit immediately. The SEC’s expansion in the early 90’s and move to a conference championship game laid the seed for conference dominance.
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Apr 29, 2010 9:52 AM EDT reply actions
Every other board
ain’t my home! I want to discuss it here! Like I said, for fun at least.
Never forget: Chucky Mullins - Tony Fein - Bennie Abram.
Once a Rebel, Always a Rebel.
"Mississippi is like my mother. I am allowed to complain about her all I want, but God help the person who raises an ill word about her around me, unless she is their mother too." - Kathryn Stockett
by BimBamOleMissByDamn on Apr 29, 2010 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Kicking it off?
Common Sense: Texas, Florida State or Miami, Virginia or Virginia Tech, Missouri
Who I’d Reaaalllllly Like to See in the SEC: Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech
Hell Naw: USM, Memphis, Tulane
Never forget: Chucky Mullins - Tony Fein - Bennie Abram.
Once a Rebel, Always a Rebel.
"Mississippi is like my mother. I am allowed to complain about her all I want, but God help the person who raises an ill word about her around me, unless she is their mother too." - Kathryn Stockett
by BimBamOleMissByDamn on Apr 29, 2010 9:53 AM EDT reply actions
One of the North Carolina schools would be a “Common Sense” pick as well, I’d go with either UNC Tar Heels or NC State Wolfpack.
Never forget: Chucky Mullins - Tony Fein - Bennie Abram.
Once a Rebel, Always a Rebel.
"Mississippi is like my mother. I am allowed to complain about her all I want, but God help the person who raises an ill word about her around me, unless she is their mother too." - Kathryn Stockett
by BimBamOleMissByDamn on Apr 29, 2010 10:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Hmm...
I can’t see an original member from one of the other “Super Conferences” jumping ship, so no dice to UVA, UNC, Texas or OSU.
The BEEEEEEZ would be cool, an original SEC school and all, and FSU seems like, as you say, a common sense pick.
Tulane brings baseball, a great road trip, and a more natural rivalry for Vanderbilt than having the Commodores playing us every year in football. I wouldn’t be so quick to throw them overboard, BimBam. (OK, OK, Tulane bias on my part, I admit it!)
Grammar Apologies
Haven’t been caffeinated yet this morning. Apologies for the awkward wording of the above post.
by HandsomeSam on Apr 29, 2010 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Texas and OSU
aren’t in one of the 4 “super conferences” that’s been ballied about. In fact, I haven’t seen much discussion about the Big 12 in any of the stories/editorials on expansion. I’m assuming most reporters think the Big 12 schools will run off to other conferences and the Big 12 will be no more. If that’s the case, or how it went down, Texas and OSU would certainly be doable for the SEC. OSU may be stretching it since they are in Oklahoma but there’s always one of the other Texas schools like Texas A&M or Texas Tech (imagine Texas Tech joining the SEC and their new coach, Tommy Tubberville, finds himself back in the SEC too).
I like the idea of Georgia Tech simply for the reason as you said, an original SEC school. I think Missouri fits well into the whole “southern” part of SEC.
Never forget: Chucky Mullins - Tony Fein - Bennie Abram.
Once a Rebel, Always a Rebel.
"Mississippi is like my mother. I am allowed to complain about her all I want, but God help the person who raises an ill word about her around me, unless she is their mother too." - Kathryn Stockett
by BimBamOleMissByDamn on Apr 29, 2010 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Mizzou Fans Say Their Identity is "Midwestern"
… and they’d like to keep it that way. They have said so several times while expressing discontented with the Big XII and how they would much prefer being in a conference like the Big Ten Eleven because it is comprised of Midwestern schools “like them.” I’m not saying they wouldn’t like to cash in on the SEC’s success, nor am I saying that they wouldn’t be a complement for the SEC, I’m just saying they would be even more frustrated by a conference with a distinctly Southern identity than they are with one that’s mostly cowboy country.
To add to that
I attended the 2006 Mizzou game slaughter. From the 48 hours I was in Columbia, it seems like a decent campus. The parties the night before the game included your average beer pong w/ keg routine. The night after the game, there was spaghetti wrestling at some football player’s house. Also, the girls there are half as attractive as Ole Miss girls, yet twice as likely to falace you.
My preference would be for
Georgia Tech, Clemson, Florida State and (maybe) Miami. I like the idea of keeping the geographical region we have now, not going out to Texas, Missouri, etc. That also sets up nice rivalries. I suppose you could add Louisville as the fourth instead of Miami.
Well
Missouri is right above Arkansas and right next to Kentucky so in terms of geographical, Mizzou fits. Most folks in Missouri consider themselves part of the South anyway.
I think an either/or with Florida State and Miami would be very cool, but not both. We’ve already got Florida and I think 2 more from that state would be overkill.
Good call on Clemson. I forgot all about them. That’d be good because of South Carolina. On the other hand though, it defeats the purpose of trying to expand into untapped TV markets. Of course the same can be said about Georgia Tech too but as an original SEC member, I think they should definitely come back “home”.
Never forget: Chucky Mullins - Tony Fein - Bennie Abram.
Once a Rebel, Always a Rebel.
"Mississippi is like my mother. I am allowed to complain about her all I want, but God help the person who raises an ill word about her around me, unless she is their mother too." - Kathryn Stockett
by BimBamOleMissByDamn on Apr 29, 2010 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Correction
Most folks from south Missouri consider themselves southern. Mizzou is in the north/central part of the state and is definitely not Southern in any sense of the word.
by RebelBarrister on May 1, 2010 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Booooo Expansion!
Expanding will make 1 of 2 things happen: Either you’ll end up playing too small of a percentage of your conference opponents to really decide anything definitively, or they’ll scrap non-con games to get in more conference games. While I could live with not playing Southeast Missouri Tech or Northwest Illinois Normal, we all know that those aren’t the games that would get scrapped.
Do the current members of the SEC have veto power?
Back in the late ‘80s when the SEC first began talking about the expansion that led to Arkansas and SC joining the fun, Florida reportedly had and exercised a veto that “forced” Florida State to join the ACC. I can’t imagine that the Gators would now want to see FSU getting an SEC-sized helping of revenue or that it would want to lose its recruiting argument that FSU plays in an inferior conference. Similarly, I wonder what Georgia would say about inviting their arch-rivals Georgia Tech or Clemson, or what SC would say about having Clemson in the league. Would Kentucky blackball Louisville? You bet your ass they would, just like Ole Miss would blackball Memphis and USM (which are not otherwise worthy anyway).
Because of these (mostly) intrastate feuds and others just like them, if there is to be SEC expansion it almost has to be outside the conference’s current geographic footprint. Presumably, one of the main reasons to expand would be to increase the TV market – while not expanding the market area, adding teams like FSU or Miami probably would increase viewership/ratings. I doubt the same is true, or as true, with Georgia Tech, Clemson or Tulane.
Eschew obfuscation.
I don't know if that veto power still exists...
but my guess is Florida has the clout to block FSU/Miami if they really want to. If SEC expansion comes as part of a 16 team super conference system, I imagine that even Florida would realize it is in their best interest to take traditionally strong programs like those two as opposed to adding more dead weight (USM, Memphis, Tulane, etc.). If the SEC is honestly interested in maintaining its spot atop collegiate sports, the member schools will be Slived into place if they quibble over regional differences.
Other random thoughts:
If the SEC batted its eyes at Clemson for half a second, they’d jump ship and come on over. I’d guess there’s a fair portion of their fanbase that thinks they deserve a shot at the SEC more than South Carolina does.
Barring the end of the ACC, would Georgia Tech really want to jump to the SEC? I know at least some of the GT fans pride themselves on having left when they did (all moral outrage over the Bear), and they’ve got a better chance to compete in the ACC (if it survives).
Virginia/Virginia Tech would be nice pickups. I’d be happy with the addition of either or both of those. Same goes for Texas and A&M.
Biggest mistake Ole Miss ever made was the failure
to block – at all costs – MSU from joining the SEC when it was founded. Surely, some shady shit could’ve been done to keep them out. It’s sad the Magnolia State splits resources as badly as it does. Louisiana did it the right way.
I'd be willing to go to 14 MAYBE if the other BCS leagues did the same
16 is just too much and 14 is probably too much.
The three teams that make the most sense are FSU, GT and Clemson.
12 + 3 = 15. 15 > 14.
So we kick State to the curb after all. 14 sounds good.
Eschew obfuscation.
by sutpens100 on Apr 30, 2010 1:43 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I'm surprised
at the votes for ‘No, not even if the other leagues do so.’ leading largely. Seriously, if the other leagues expand, you think we should stay where we are.. and not be a part of the action? That’s interesting and is why I added a poll with this discussion.
Never forget: Chucky Mullins - Tony Fein - Bennie Abram.
Once a Rebel, Always a Rebel.
"Mississippi is like my mother. I am allowed to complain about her all I want, but God help the person who raises an ill word about her around me, unless she is their mother too." - Kathryn Stockett
by BimBamOleMissByDamn on Apr 30, 2010 10:33 AM EDT reply actions
That's the only thing I said, actually.
If somebody else expands, we should too.
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Apr 30, 2010 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
If we expand...
why not allow each state to have two schools in the conference: Tulane, FSU, GA Tech, and Clemson would work.
So Arkansas and Kentucky go elsewhere?
Red Cup Rebellion - Changing the Culture of Ole Miss Athletics
Take a picture, trick.
by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Apr 30, 2010 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Sort of.
One of them has to move to the other state. They can flip for it. I think it will work. Both states have plenty of hillbillies; both have spring derbies for their horses; both have one or more cities that begin with “L”; the mascots of both schools are wild animals; neither school’s athletic teams are half as good as their fans seem to think. Looks like a match [made in hell] to me.
Eschew obfuscation.
My view is
that even if other conferences expand to a super conference format such as 14 to 16 teams, that there is no need for us to follow in there steps. I think that over a couple years the super conference format will prove inept due to the lack of teams ability to either a) play a good portion of the teams in their conference or b)an elimination of OOC games in order to incorporate enough in conference games. I believe that the 12 team format has proven to be the most ideal as it allows a fair number of conference games while also allowing the opportunity to play several OOC games, and it stills allows you to run a championship game. The SEC is running an ideal 12 team setup, that still incorporates good rivalries and should not be changed for an as yet untested system just for the sake of matching other conferences in size. I believe quality matters far more, than quantity.
Obvious Choices
1. GaTech (most obvious)
2. Tulane (screw what LSU wants….great roadtrip)
3. FSU (Tallahassee is in the “South”….Miami is not)
4. Clemson (has potential and adds to baseball and basketball)
Honorable Mention
1. Louisville
2. Virginia
3. UNC
4. Duke
SEC EAST: Clemson, Florida, FSU, Georgia, Kentucky, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Vandy
SEC WEST: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, GaTech, LSU, Ole Miss, State, Tulane
Smallest would still be Vandy. We’d add New Orleans and Atlanta to road trips. We’d add two great schools in Tulane and GaTech, tradition of FSU sports, and a tolerable orange uni in Clemson.
by HaterOfAllThingsCrimsonAnd-OrTide-ish on Apr 30, 2010 3:55 PM EDT reply actions
Gotta follow suit if the others do
But if we’re talking 4 “superconferences,” it would only be logical for them to be Pac-10, Big 10, Big XII, and SEC for geographic purposes. And if this were necessary, here’s my super SEC 16:
Atlantic: Florida, Miami, Clemson, SCar, UNC, Georgia, Virginia, VA Tech
Gulf: LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Miss St., Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Florida St
Great Mid Major Schools are the way to go
Go after the TCU’s & Boise State type schools of the college football world………….If we could tear up the Big East, I would take West Virginia that would be UT’s new rival that’s worth watching. I would Take TCU to break into the Texas Market and it would knock Texas and Oklahoma down a peg, I would also pick up USF and North Carolina to give us a good B-Ball school.
I'm simply legendary......
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