Realignment

So I have spent a little time watching the reaction of the remaining 8 and other conferences on pod casts, to me it is clear that they really don't understand what is going on in the SEC. In summary, the SEC is playing three level chess and the rest are playing a slow hand of checkers. They do not think this is a threat to completely change college football. They really think that the Big can "take' the Carolina and Virginia schools, maybe Kansas and ISU and Nd and be powerful. Or even merge with the ACC or Pac to have all the other teams. Clearly these are not football guys.

The threat from the Big and ACC is we will vote against an expanded playoff so you can't have more than 2 teams from the SEC!

If any of two of OSU, Michigan, ND, Clemson, FSU, USC join the SEC then turn out the lights.

 

Someone already has their hand on the switch.

 

None of teams you listed will join SEC anytime soon. This kind of speculation is all about throwing it against the wall to see what sticks so down the road people can claim they called it.

 

Yep, they are all living in denial because it's such a monumental task to shift thought and work towards conference alignment. I'm convinced every other major conference is happy with the status quo and don't understand the SEC is in it for total domination and will work tirelessly to achieve that strategically. I guarantee they have other schools ears right now. It may not happen immediately, but the SEC will pull in two or four more big time programs pretty soon then it's over.

 

I could see FSU and Clemson going to the SEC. FSU was a decently recent add to the ACC, and Clemson is only in it for football, not basketball, so they don't have the same ACC tie in as NC, NCST, Duke, etc.

Big 10 - yeah, hard to see that happening from the cultural issues, but you never know.

You are correct - most of being a media pundit is saying 100 things, 99 of which don't come true and are hidden as you control the narrative, then busting out with the one that randomly did and say "Yeah, told ya so!!!".

 

I don't see OSU, Michigan or USC (???) joining the SEC any time soon. ND would join the B1G before they'd go SEC. Clemson and FSU are the more likely to flip to SEC.

The B1G's answer to the SEC power move is to merge with the PAC 12 who they already have a longstanding amicable relationship with. That would give them TV coverage of >50% of the country.

 

This time I don't think so. It seems pretty clear that Clemson, FSU and USC are under appreciated by their conferences. These schools care about and have invested heavily in a football program. Playing against crummy teams that don't care will not be enough to keep the interest of marquises programs.

 

SH
I agree that Michigan is the least likely to move but OSU and Penn State would. I think ND is also not a first mover. USC with Oregon, Washington and another would make a nice "pod". USC has been unhappy for a while in part because public universities in California are run by fruits and nuts. I think it is very likely that FSU would leave with or without Clemson. Then Clemson, who is not "smart enough" for the Big, would have to play football on a basketball court. The BIG merging with the PAC, while obvious, adds nothing to the BIG network and in many ways doesn't fix USC's complaints. Ultimately, the SEC (little NFL) cannot be countered by anything except a conference that eliminates the teams that don't invest in football. That won't happen because the Big and the Pac are too concerned about non football related interests like academics and not playing ball w people that "pray". They just don't get it. Frankly, college football is popular where people say grace, they say mam, and don't kneel during the anthem. Planes fly over the stadium with the red white a blue. Police and enlisted men cannot buy a meal in public. Just saying.

50 percent of the population or the land mass means nothing in the streaming world.

Years ago I was in trial in Syracuse during the CWS. After the judge stopped yelling at me he asked if there were anymore questions? I asked what channel the CWS was on? He looked at me, confessed he was an Arkansas grad and said, up here the only baseball anyone watches are the Yankees and Red Socks. Anyone that thinks Rutgers, Maryland, Syracuse or any such team adds eyeballs because of where they are has been proven wrong. But the BIG still doesn't get it.

 

The trend will continue. More and more long-standing rivalries will be abandoned. We'll end up with 3, maybe 4, superconferences of 16-20 teams each and everyone else left out in the cold.

 

Stat, I agree with you - I'm thinking 4 superconferences of 16 team each. And every other school is playing musical chairs, and should grab the first available seat when the music stops.

 

The ACC is in upheaval. More than likely, the BigTen will make another run at UNC/UVA, but without Delany, it will be a hard sell. Warren is worse as a commissioner, and actually dumber than Bowelsby.

If, however, by some strange happenstance UNC/UVA decide to make the move (it will be UNC says yes & UVA agrees when they getup off their knees), then that will likely trigger ND. The Sons of Klem and FSU will have their applications into the SEC before you are through shaving.

All of that could indeed trigger USC to take action. They are already exploring their options.

 

Some (fairly) recent discussions regarding USC in all this:

USC's big choice: Big Ten, independent, Pac-12, or wait and see?

How an 18-team Big Ten could work in college football realignment world

Some of the talk centers around the concept of the B1G cherry picking USC and some other PAC schools (namely those in California to lock down the LA, SF, OC, and SD tv markets). USC bolting all the way to the SEC isn't out of the question--crazy things are happening now...

[cross-posted in Pac-12 / B!G thread]

 

Good reads. It's very hard to predict anything in CFB. IMO the B1G and PAC will both expand. Then formalize the scheduling agreement discussed a few years back.

 

If that happens I bet there will be two. Big !0 v SEC. But I still think FSU and Clemson come to SEC soon, USC will decide to big BIG or SEC. If OSU leaves one mini NFL.

 

Just happy UT was on the leading edge this time and not left behind.