Wow, Oregon and Washington officially gone per McMurphy.......
- Thread starter OG Goat Holder
- Start date
As much as the PAC-12 has been an albatross around the neck of college sports in recent decades (due to politics, an inflated view of their importance, etc), this is not a good thing.
Foke you Kliavkoff. Ima have to resort to watching reruns on the Tennis Channel on late Saturday nights.
There hasn't been a good thing done for college sports since around the time the Big 12 split and we got a 4-team playoff.
Seems like B1G strategy is now clear. They are picking the low hanging west coast fruit, and not waiting out the ACC unraveling for their expansion.
This puts B1G now at 18 teams, with SEC at 16. A “your move, SEC” signal of sorts. I still think its a mistake to spread themselves out that far, but they became pot committed to it with the LA schools jumping on board.
I’d say this puts all eyes on Stanford, Cal, Arizona, Arizona State, and….maybe…Utah. Arizona and Arizona State now become more interesting as potential dark horse SEC targets, given that the ACC situation is continuing to look like more of a long term play, and the SEC may not want to just surrender the entire OG PAC bloc to the B1G. And they are far more regional to the traditional SEC footprint than any of PAC schools are to the B1G…..so its not a huge stretch.
This puts B1G now at 18 teams, with SEC at 16. A “your move, SEC” signal of sorts. I still think its a mistake to spread themselves out that far, but they became pot committed to it with the LA schools jumping on board.
I’d say this puts all eyes on Stanford, Cal, Arizona, Arizona State, and….maybe…Utah. Arizona and Arizona State now become more interesting as potential dark horse SEC targets, given that the ACC situation is continuing to look like more of a long term play, and the SEC may not want to just surrender the entire OG PAC bloc to the B1G. And they are far more regional to the traditional SEC footprint than any of PAC schools are to the B1G…..so its not a huge stretch.
Look for Memphis to still not get asked to any dance
Best move for SEC is no move. Unless the obvious ACC targets can somehow get out of their grant of rights. I doubt they can, but if I’m the SEC, I’m definitely talking to them.
Arizona is headed to the Big 12. Whether ASU and Utah follow is up in the air.
A friend of mine spitballed yesterday, if the SEC wants to get to 20, the targets need to be from the ACC - Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina and Notre Dame.
That's the only way to make a splash at this point and match the Big Ten's money.
I'm still not seeing the SEC expanding into the Mountain time zone. I could be wrong, but I think that's just a bridge too far. I get your logic though.
The interesting thing to me here is whether ESPN is willing to completely forego the west coast and that pacific time slot. As of right now, the Big Ten (Fox/CBS/NBC) and Mountain West (CBS/Fox) have no ESPN portion of their deal. There was a rumor that Apple might resell parts of their tier one rights to ESPN as part of the Pac deal, but that was never confirmed. Unless the Big 12 picks up one of those West Coast teams and I don't think they will, the "ESPN After Dark" era is effectively over. Fox seems to have effectively cornered that market and, in a way, control the Big 12's ability to add those schools as part of the pro rata, so they may not pony up for Cal or Stanford simply to keep ESPN off the west coast.
Man, this is some drama.
We shall see. Its not like they only have to make one move. SEC can pull whoever they want from the Big 12 at any time, and they know it. Same for the B1G. So I can see Arizona / ASU renting but not owning their place over there….potentially.
Good point, and that was lost in my semi-sarcastic comment. That was a good move, but combined with the current state of things, I still wonder if this era can match the BCS era in popularity.
I agree. I think this is looking more and more like Fox is trying to control the Midwest/West Coast and ESPN is trying to control the Southeast/East Coast and they're sharing property in the Plains and Mountains.
Holding out for ACC additions is, I think, the right move for the SEC.
Agree but I just doubt the SEC and Notre Dame ever align, and not real sure on UNC, even though they are an obvious play. I see Virginia Tech, NC State or Arizona State instead.
If/when the SEC expands yet again, I really hope it stays in the SE footprint.
FSU, Miami, Duke, UNC, Clemson- schools like these.
F17S, Mizzou has been in the SEC for over a decade and many still cant come to terms with it. Imagine how many here will melt down if the SEC added Stanford and Cal!
FSU, Miami, Duke, UNC, Clemson- schools like these.
F17S, Mizzou has been in the SEC for over a decade and many still cant come to terms with it. Imagine how many here will melt down if the SEC added Stanford and Cal!
Ok I was wonder how many they had. It's getting to the point where you can't play even everyone in your conference in two years almost even without divisions.
I bet the rest of the pac goes to big 12.
man's I hope they rebrand these conference names something with the number since that means nothing
Sec is also culture. I could see them talking to Carolina schools and maybe Florida state. Miami no.
maybe they talk to ok state. But it makes more sense to stay in the south east print. With sec ESPN being in North Carolina it would make sense to get North Carolina and nc state. To get to 18 and then either fsu and Clemson or ok state and Florida state. Something like that
maybe they talk to ok state. But it makes more sense to stay in the south east print. With sec ESPN being in North Carolina it would make sense to get North Carolina and nc state. To get to 18 and then either fsu and Clemson or ok state and Florida state. Something like that
I think the endgame will be two 32 team super leagues broken down into 4 8-team divisions each. We'll probably end up with 16 to 24 team playoff similar to the NFL. The B1G and the SEC will be like the NFC and AFC.
Nobody would take them when the FedEx guy offered any major conference a billion dollars spread over 10 years to take them. That was when his son was playing qb for them.
Why would the SEC want any school from the Big 12? They’ve already taken the ones they want. There’s simply no one else there that adds value. Maybe Utah, Stanford, Cal & one of the AZ schools would be able to come close to break even. But they’d also bring a lot of problems I don’t think the SEC wants to deal with. I think the Big 10 is going to be a bloated conference & the West Coast schools will do it more harm than good. SEC will be much better positioned when the ACC grant of rights is close to expiring (or some law firm earns a 9-digit paycheck for getting around it).
So after everything is said and done we end up in the SEC West?
I don't think OK State is anywhere on the SEC's radar and I don't think they ever will be. Otherwise, I think this is spot on.
Seems like Arizona, ASU, and Utah are Big 12 bound. I hope the Big 12 can maintain as a “solid” 3rd power conference.
Oregon State and Wazzu, it’s a shame but the Mountain West isn’t terrible.
Hot take: Stanford ends up in the B1G but Cal does not. I would think adding Cal doesn’t really add any value, and would dilute revenue shares.
Oregon State and Wazzu, it’s a shame but the Mountain West isn’t terrible.
Hot take: Stanford ends up in the B1G but Cal does not. I would think adding Cal doesn’t really add any value, and would dilute revenue shares.
This won't happen. No NCAA playoff operates like this.
I don't think any of these conferences expand past 20. Big 12, after they have secured Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah, could reach out and get Washington State and Oregon State and get to 18. The ACC can survive too, even if they lost a few to the SEC, they may can even wrestle West Virginia and Cincinnati away from the Big 12. Plus you have UConn and others. And Notre Dame's power may well be watered down by then, and they may be happy to join the ACC. They really don't realize how quickly the tide is turning for them.
We will have a distinct top tier of SEC/B1G, then a middle of Big 12 and ACC, then the G5. And the 12-team playoff will keep it stabilized. I think it could settle that way, then 30 years from now the elites may break off. That is a way's off.
AZ and ASU are headed to the Big12. AZ is already a done deal. SEC isn't taking any far west teams. Not taking any teams right now. No need to.
Speaking of regional, the way the state of Florida is growing, Florida Atlantic and possibly FIU could be next in the SEC expansion discussion after ACC teams are absorbed. And of course central florida too.
Last edited:
I was thinking this exact thing earlier today. We will end up with an NFL set-up, 2 conferences with their own playoffs with the champs meeting in a National Championship. I'm guessing each conference will have somewhere between 24-32 teams. I'm not sure there are enough ACC teams that are good enough to get the SEC to that number.
This made me think that maybe the SEC should consider Arizona and Arizona St. Big alumni bases, good markets, and they give an entire new time slot for the SEC. Not too mention looking out west, they might be the best fits for the SEC out of the schools west of Texas/Missouri. The only question is do you take them now while their brand is still ok or do you let them go to the Big 12 and sit until that media rights deal ends in 2031 when maybe the ACC deal gets a little more "manageable."
I expect the Big Ten to come back from Cal and Stanford just for their academic prestige which the Big Ten values. It certainly won't be because of the number of TV sets they would bring.
December 2019 someone tells you the PAC-12 will dissolve in less than four years...your reaction? In another decade the Florida schools with an undergrad enrollment of >50k will no be in the conference they're in now.
