The SEC will win the conference realignment war by remaining idle
By John Fye
The Big Ten and Big 12 are getting larger after pillaging the Pac-12. However, the SEC doesn’t have to grow to win conference realignment.
The college football cash grab has resulted in extreme conference realignment. The Big Ten is growing to 18 teams in 2024 after poaching USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington from the west coast. Moreover, the Big 12 is increasing to 16 teams via Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State migration.
The SEC will grow to 16 teams in 2024 with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma. Some fans believe the conference must keep pace with the Big Ten and get ahead of the Big 12 by gaining more teams. However, the SEC doesn’t have to do anything further regarding expansion.
Greg Sankey says SEC presidents met and talked last Friday.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 8, 2023
It is "very clear that there is not something out there” to engage with about expansion, he says.
The SEC will win conference realignment by doing nothing
The Big Ten is the SEC’s biggest competitor unequivocally, especially in college football. The Big 12 remains relevant, but the conference is much less attractive without the Longhorns and Sooners.
As such, the Big 12 can grow to 22 teams, if they choose, and it won’t make a difference to fans of schools outside the conference. In other words, the Big 12 adding the likes of Arizona and Arizona State to tangle with Baylor and Kansas isn’t very interesting.
We appreciate what TCU accomplished last season, but the reality is Texas and Oklahoma has carried the Big 12 for multiple decades.
Thus, fans must not overrate the quantity of teams because NCAA conference realignment is a game dominated by program quality.
The SEC already features more quality programs
Adding Arizona State is far from invoking the qualitative approach to building a conference. The same can be said about the Big Ten’s expansion habits.
Indeed, what the Big Ten gains in USC and Oregon’s popularity is a wash when we consider Maryland and Rutgers exist within the conference’s confines.
most of the (Big Ten) conference is football irrelevant and inconsistent in other major sports
The Big Ten’s credibility rests predominantly with Ohio State and Michigan. Penn State has made some noise in football since the disastrous closure to Joe Paterno’s tenure, and Michigan State is good on the men’s hardwood. However, most of the conference is football irrelevant and inconsistent in other major sports.
Conversely, the SEC remains front and center in a majority of college athletics. The entire conference holds its own in college football, except for Vanderbilt. Nevertheless, the Commodores compensate for the gap with their powerhouse college baseball program.
The LSU Tigers are arguably the example of an SEC program that demonstrates quality across multiple sports, including football, baseball, softball, women’s basketball, women’s golf, and gymnastics.
Adding Texas and Oklahoma further cements the SEC as the crown jewel of the quality college athletics spectrum.
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The SEC’s landscape eases travel burdens
Much has been said regarding the extreme travel created by the Big Ten’s addition of west coast programs. Indeed, travel from Los Angeles to Piscataway, New Jersey, is a haul.
Missouri football head coach Eli Drinkwitz recently commented that conference realignment harms student athletes’ mental health. He’s right. Keeping college students on the road for extended periods is not good.
what is the effect of the Big Ten’s west coast expansion on sports that compete in series like college baseball and softball?
Travel across the country isn’t as big of a task for college football programs, but fans must consider the impact of a geographically dispersed conference on other sports. We wonder, what is the effect of the Big Ten’s west coast expansion on sports that compete in series like college baseball and softball?
The same problem exists in the Big 12, where travel from Phoenix to Morgantown is now a thing.
As it stands, the SEC and ACC are the most geographically sound Power 5 conferences. That might not seem like a huge deal, but one must put themselves in the shoes of a high school athlete. Is the increased time on the road worth the commitment, considering the existing pressures of academics and athletics and the need for a social life?
The SEC is still the biggest winner in expansion. They managed to remain regional while adding the two biggest programs on the market. Everything the Big 10 did was in response.
— Will (@rozenwill) August 7, 2023
Suffice it to say that a lighter travel schedule is a significant selling point for SEC schools.
Conference realignment doesn’t guarantee more money
The Big Ten was the most profitable conference in college sports in 2022. According to reports, the Big Ten pocketed $845.6 million, most resulting from TV money. However, neither the Big Ten nor Big 12 will make more money on their current television deals despite adding more teams.
Moreover, each conference’s operating costs will increase with more teams and increased travel.
Conversely, the SEC’s $3 billion television rights deals with ESPN has the conference poised to make more money and distribute better payouts to their member schools in 2024.
Money is the key motivator behind conference realignment. Programs want bigger shares of revenue and conferences hope more teams will lead to bigger television contracts. But for now, the SEC has a monstrous TV deal and no need to complicate such by adding random programs as a knee-jerk reaction.
We won’t rule out the potential for the SEC to eventually lure Clemson or Florida State from the ACC. However, the gold standard of college conferences will maintain a patient and responsible approach to expansion.
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The SEC will continue as the college athletics’ king by sitting back and watching their competitors’ grow larger without right rhyme or reasons.