Paul Finebaum weighs markets vs. brands in SEC expansion talks

It’s safe to say the conference expansion era in the college athletics landscape has begun, with a multitude of major schools making big-time conference moves in 2024 and the discourse regarding program movement increasing significantly.

The Big Ten and SEC have been at the forefront of conference realignment, with many wondering what their next move will be in adding another program to their fold. Both Clemson and Florida State have been rumored as the next targets for the SEC, with both programs even leading the betting odds as the favorites to join the conference next.

College football analyst Paul Finebaum recently spoke with John Ourand on the ‘The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast’ about that possibility, weighing out the most important factors in the potential move.

“I think that’s conventional wisdom and the real question is how do networks view the landscape today, is a market important or is a brand important?” Finebaum asked. “And I suspect the brand is becoming more important, because you’re not going to head too many more households in South Carolina, but I’m not sure that’s really the issue.”

A laundry list of factors plays a role in a program joining a new conference, but in today’s day and age and with the importance of revenue, the brand name of a program and the market they present to a conference and their networks are likely the two most important factors.

Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC in 2024 presents two of the biggest brands in collegiate athletics, also providing a new untapped market for the conference in Oklahoma and doubling down on their Texas market after adding Texas A&M to the conference in 2012.

But a move like USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten in 2024 checks both boxes tenfold, as that conference not only adds two big-time brand names rich with history, but also spreads the Big Ten’s market to the west coast to one of the largest in the nation with Los Angeles in an unprecedented way.

Markets and brand names are a big factors, but not the only thing factors in conference expansion according to Finebaum.

“And sometimes you get schools, I’ve heard North Carolina and Virginia just thrown up in the air as possibilities for the Big Ten, why?” Finebaum asked. “Some of it has to do with academics, and I know that’s a word hardly ever used, but the Big Ten loves to pride itself on having AAU sanctioned universities. I won’t explain, that’s not an athletic term, that’s an academic term, that means you are top of the shelf. And I think the only non AAU school in the Big Ten is Nebraska.”

Academics are rarely discussed regarding conference expansion, but are yet another factor that plays a role in these major decisions and seismic changes in the college sports landscape.

Fans and media members alike have a pulse on what elements and areas of importance impact conference expansion, driving the narratives and rumors about potential movement. But until the conference’s decision-makers hint at any potential movies, it will all continue to just be speculation.