I dislike tinkering with a formula that is working well for everybody in the conference. More is not necessarily better. The entire upper tier of the Conference rotates in an out of the SECCG often enough to please most fans. Even teams like Kentucky and Vanderbilt which take a lot of lumps in football are major assets in basketball season. I can see taking in enough new teams to fundamentally change the character of the league. I think making this kind of change is something that a league in distress does, not the King of the Hill.
If we're the King of the Hill, and 16-team conferences are about to be the way college football is played, then perhaps we are leading, not reacting.
i agree, but money talks louder than anything else. im pretty sure the proper spelling of our commish's name is $live.
This is true, that's why I made sure to note that it was ESPN. However, I don't see just A&M joining the SEC. That would make divisions lop-sided and unfair, so I think they will take an even number of teams to keep things in order. All-in-all I hope that they don't end up joining because, as stated before, the SEC is already a rigorous battlefield of opponents; we don't need any more.
we would have to add at least two more teams. who the second one (or even third or fourth) are the biggest questions.
This doesn't so much apply to TCU, but someone would tell Boise that it's time to put up or shut up. They moan about how no big OOC school will play them and their conference schedule precludes them from NC consideration. Well, here's your chance. You can join the Pac-whatever or the leftover conference that grabs TCU, ACC, and Big East schools. If Boise wants into the big game, they can play a big boy schedule every year just like everyone else.
Who says that 16-team conferences are about to be the way college football is played? I know a lot of people envision grand playoff plans, but big leagues also have their drawbacks and it isn't set in any stone. Schools have to ask themselves if they can still fill their big stadiums if they average 8-4 seasons and an SECCG game every 7 or 8 years instead of a 10-2 average and a championship every 3 or 4 years. If the SEC must have 16 teams, then add 2 contenders and 2 Kentuckerbilts. Maybe even four Kentuckerbilts, an upgrade for them and small threat to the status quo.
Yes, TCU "sort of" put up by joining the Big Least, but I'm not sure why they didn't make a play to "save" the Big 12 by pushing to join, while another team like Houston could've evened out the numbers that came from losing Nebraska and Colorado. For that matter, I'm not sure Arkansas wouldn't have looked at being the 12th team to renew their classic rivalry with Texas. But they didn't do that. And absolutely, it's time for BSU to make something happen. I don't think they really want to play the big boys every week, though. What do you think? But, they're about to have no choice if they ever wish to have their name uttered for championship consideration. Reading the ESPN message boards, it looks like OU/OSU are definitely looking to go west to the PAC 10 (12) (16). And Texas is delusional if they think they don't need to join up with the PAC, too, if the SEC expands to 16 teams.
