Dan Wetzel discusses balance between television money, academic value in conference expansion talks

College football is seemingly teetering on the edge of another whirlwind of realignment, with the Pac-12 Conference on the precipice of dissolution and Florida State clamoring for more money or a path out of the Atlantic Coast Conference. But speaking with On3’s Andy Staples, Yahoo! Sports Dan Wetzel doesn’t think the conference are looking at these additions solely through the lens of athletic success.

Factors like geography, local demography and, certainly, academic prowess are factoring in to these decisions that, in the end, reach further than athletics. It’s why the Big Ten Conference would likely prefer to scoop up Stanford and Cal — along with Oregon and Washington — as opposed to Florida State and Clemson.

“There is more to this if the presidents are making deals. So I don’t — I’ve done a bunch of different interviews, I don’t want to repeat myself, but like you’re trying to get the Big 10 to own the Bay Area with those schools in the Bay Area. Tech companies, Silicon Valley all the alumni they have. Regular students, right? I know this, like at the University of Michigan, I think their freshman class that’s coming in, the most students entering the class are from the state of Michigan, obviously. No. 2 is, I believe, is California this year. So, they’re getting more kids from California to go to Michigan than Illinois or Ohio or any of these states right next to ’em. California — the people of California have money,” Wetzel said.

While specific data on home states isn’t readily available, basic enrollment reporting from the University of Michigan shows that approximately half of the full-time freshmen enrollees have been from out-of-state for several years.

Staples noted that this is an economic boon for a school like Michigan — or any public school — taking out of state students. Michigan’s own estimations for cost of attendance double for out of state students to more than $70,000.

“Full boat and they’re elite students,” Wetzel said, concurring.

Wetzel went on to explain how these are the sort of factors that hinder the Florida State’s of the world in trying to find a home in realignment.

The Seminoles might be successful on the field, but the Big Ten and other leagues are, at least in theory, looking at a much bigger picture than just athletics when it comes to this potential phase of realignment.

“But not everything is about putting the best teams together,” Wetzel said. “And so — and look, let’s say you go around the Big Ten. Let’s say you’re talking to Purdue. Say, ‘Hey man, you want to Clemson and Florida State?’ That’s two more teams we probably can’t beat. Or ‘You get a trip out to San Francisco, you see your rich alums, you beat the hell out of Cal, it’s all good.'”

“How about a little something for the lower teams. There’s a lot there, and that’s what the question is: Will the pieces fit? And I get Florida State’s frustration. What’s their solution other than continuing to scream we want more money? And why would the ACC give them more money if they know you’re leaving anyway?”