Paul Finebaum assesses where the SEC stands after latest Big Ten additions, what to expect next

This summer featured another shift of tectonic plates in regards to college sports conferences when the longstanding and historically powerful Pac-12 was further pillaged by other conferences and is now left pretty much torn apart. Several Pac-12 clubs scampered off to the nearby Big 12 while two more schools joined USC and UCLA by fleeing eastward to join the Big Ten.

Particularly, the Big Ten’s newest additions of Washington and Oregon made tidal waves in the conference realignment world, as the league will now feature four west coast teams in addition to its 14 other member schools, which are all located in the northeast and Midwest. Plus, the league now sits at 18 teams, which far eclipses the current highest mark of 14 schools to a conference (ACC, SEC, Big Ten) — as well as the 16 figure that the SEC and Big 12 are set to have next fall.

So, with the Big Ten pushing to 18, ESPN analysts Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic are wondering if the SEC will now feel pressure to catch up in the arms race. They asked SEC Network host Paul Finebaum if he thinks the SEC will add more teams in response to the Big Ten’s moves.

His answer:

“Greg, first of all, I don’t think the SEC has to make a move. The Big Ten did have to make a move when the SEC brought Oklahoma and Texas in. I mean, those were monstrous chess pieces that completely changed the balance of the SEC. So when they brought UCLA and USC in last year, we understood that.”

However, the Ducks and Huskies just don’t move the needle quite as much.

“I am not saying that Oregon and Washington are inferior products — they’re not. They’re very strong. I mean, Oregon is a brand, it has a lot going for it, as does Washington. But I don’t think they are so significant — and I’m looking big picture, not where they’re ranked this year — that that they’re changing the balance of anything in college athletics. If anything, they’re making things more complicated for the Big Ten.”

So, Paul Finebaum thinks the SEC will sit tight after the Big Ten’s latest moves, though he doesn’t rule out further league expansion someday down the line.

“To me, where Greg Sankey sits this morning is in a very good position. He’s not vying for anybody, because Florida State, Clemson and the other ACC malcontents have so many other issues to deal with before the SEC would consider them. Do I think there will be expansion in the future in the SEC? Yes I do. I think the door is definitely open because nothing is really stable in college athletics right now.”

There you have it. As is typical with conference realignment, we’re hearing that no move is unbelievable while nobody really seems to know which moves will come next in this frenzy.