Texas Longhorns forward Timmy Allen (0) dribbles the ball against Miami (Fl) Hurricanes forward Norchad Omier (15) Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
One of the biggest news stories in college athletics in recent years has been the realignment of conferences. Rumors and rumors are rife in the world of college sports, but they’ve become very real, especially in recent months, with brazen new TV deals and crazy realignment news.
Headlining lately have been the moves made by current Pac-12 teams, with all but two heading to the ACC, Big 12 or Big Ten for next season. These are measures that make little or no sense geographically, but are strictly about the security of these programs, with super-conferences and mega-TV deals inspiring all of these measures.
What really sparked the current realignment process was a decision made by the SEC more than a year ago, when the conference announced it would add Oklahoma and Texas to the Big 12. Two programs large-scale companies would abandon their long-standing rivals and help strengthen an already established system. juicy SEC Basketball, with this decision having a significant impact on college football, as well as a few other sports.
No matter how you feel about realignment or your reaction to the news we’ve heard, it’s real and it’s the future of college sports. The Pac-12 as we know it will cease to exist in nine months and it may not be the only league to collapse in the years to come. These programs and leaders are chasing big money and you never know which league might be the next victim. This is one of the main reasons why the ACC recently announced the addition of Cal, Stanford and SMU, increasing their membership numbers in case they themselves are attacked.
It’s important to act proactively and that’s why we’re taking another look at the SEC today. It was their additions of Oklahoma and Texas that seemed to reignite this madness, bringing them to 16 teams. What if they wanted to add more members to the league, maybe to reach 18 or 20? Today we’ll look at ten potential programs the SEC could consider adding, presenting them strictly in alphabetical order and not based on preference level.
Texas Longhorns forward Timmy Allen (0) dribbles the ball against Miami (Fl) Hurricanes forward Norchad Omier (15) Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
One of the biggest news stories in college athletics in recent years has been the realignment of conferences. Rumors and rumors are rife in the world of college sports, but they’ve become very real, especially in recent months, with brazen new TV deals and crazy realignment news.
Headlining lately have been the moves made by current Pac-12 teams, with all but two heading to the ACC, Big 12 or Big Ten for next season. These are measures that make little or no sense geographically, but are strictly about the security of these programs, with super-conferences and mega-TV deals inspiring all of these measures.
What really sparked the current realignment process was a decision made by the SEC more than a year ago, when the conference announced it would add Oklahoma and Texas to the Big 12. Two programs large-scale companies would abandon their long-standing rivals and help strengthen an already established system. juicy SEC Basketball, with this decision having a significant impact on college football, as well as a few other sports.
No matter how you feel about realignment or your reaction to the news we’ve heard, it’s real and it’s the future of college sports. The Pac-12 as we know it will cease to exist in nine months and it may not be the only league to collapse in the years to come. These programs and leaders are chasing big money and you never know which league might be the next victim. This is one of the main reasons why the ACC recently announced the addition of Cal, Stanford and SMU, increasing their membership numbers in case they themselves are attacked.
It’s important to act proactively and that’s why we’re taking another look at the SEC today. It was their additions of Oklahoma and Texas that seemed to reignite this madness, bringing them to 16 teams. What if they wanted to add more members to the league, maybe to reach 18 or 20? Today we’ll look at ten potential programs the SEC could consider adding, presenting them strictly in alphabetical order and not based on preference level.
