The SEC doesn't simply use "quality of football play" as whether or not these teams would be a good addition or not to the conference. Academics, $$$ market share $$$, overall quality of their athletic department meaning other sports. But, lets not fool ourselves. The driving issue is market share. That translates into MO MONEY. Getting aTm and Va Tech would be tapping into a new market. Where as bringing in Ga Tech or Fla St wouldn't. We'd be bringing in teams from a market we already own and are benefitting from.
I don't have a feeling one way or another but we do have a built in semi rivalry with A&M. It would be good to get that going again.
Didn't say that. Vandy is already in and not going anywhere. I get what's being said about the money which I realize is a driving force. I just don't think that VaTech makes the SEC a better conference. I think the opposite in fact. At least Vandy provides a good baseball program for the SEC. I don't see VaTech adding much to the big sports competitions. aTm also has good baseball which makes them more attractive than VT.
Va. Tech adds nothing that I can see. They are a second tier football program in my opinion and they are located in the mountains in far western Virginia, so it is doubtful they would attract much of the D.C. market. It does expand the footprint though. A&M on the other hand expands the SEC footprint into a huge market. The one that makes the most sense to me is Missouri. Missouri is a big time program, the only major University in Missouri and it brings in the Kansas City and St. Louis markets. That ain't bad. The only problem is I don't think they are interested. That leaves us with the Hokies I guess. :dis:
Let's keep in mind, for those dissin' Va Tech being a second rate football program, that their recruiting will or should see a decent boost simply from being a part of the SEC. Now, I don't know the degree it will improve but I think they would adjust to the SEC style of play.
My understanding is that, historically speaking, most of the potential candidates you hear nosed around are more or less equivalent from a football standpoint. West Virginia, Va Tech, Missouri, NC, even Maryland (?) are all just about the same. They'd be somewhere in that morass of teams a bit worse than Ole Miss, but significantly better than Kentucky. NC a little weaker than the others. So for a 14th team I don't really think football quality will have any say-so as it's basically a wash. Not that I expect either the team selected or the SEC to admit that. A&M is a different matter though, it'd be like acquiring another Arkansas.
I want no part of A&M. It will just hurt LSU recruiting in east texas and make the west division even harder to win. Why not Houston and North Carolina State? Two huge markets to add without adding more contenders like A&M and VT.
