Published June 12, 2010 - 11:38pm
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Expansion is in the air as conferences are looking to beef up their portfolio of teams and hopefully beef up their revenues over the coming years. These days, it’s all about money typically in the form of TV contracts. While the Big Ten and the Pac-10 are making most of the headlines and have been taking the first steps, the SEC is likely to and should make a move soon.
Some many argue that the SEC doesn’t need to expand. After all, the SEC dominates college football these days. Sure, the Big Ten makes more money right now due to their own network, but SEC isn’t far behind, and everyone agrees the best football is down south over the past few years. But, I argue that it’s dangerous to assume that the SEC is good as is.
If super conferences are being formed, SEC needs to step up the plate and solidify its place as the dominant conference. This means adding two teams, maybe four. 14+ team conferences out west and out north wouldn’t put the SEC out of business, but long term, it could definitely jeopardize the dominance we have down south.
With a strong 12 team conference already in place, the SEC doesn’t have to do much, and it doesn’t need to reach. Finding two quality teams to expand the SEC reach and market isn’t tough. Ideally, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M would join moving two quality programs into the mix and two new markets. Even if they’re not interested, there are others.
The SEC can’t get complacent even with a few years of extraordinary success. I think the SEC leadership knows this, and they will indeed, make a move. I’ll be surprised otherwise.
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