Believe the Big 10 is the only conference that was rumored to have academic requirements but don’t think it was anything official. The ACC is in a very precarious situation here. Their tv deal is awful and will be even worse once the SEC and Big 10 rework their deals. It was confirmed that Clemson and FSU reached out to the SEC which would be the 2nd time in the last decade they've flirted with other conferences. Outside of merging with another conference or trying to poach schools to rework their deal, I don't think the top schools will be happy to stick out their current contract for the next 15 years.
Part of me wonders if we have this all backwards. The SEC has virtually no major media markets - Austin is the largest city in it after UT joins. Obviously they have the states of Texas and Florida, but otherwise, it's a bunch of smaller markets. The main reason for SEC dominance is Alabama, and specifically Nick Saban. If Alabama didn't exist, is the SEC really any better than the B10 or B12 (with OU/TX)? LSU, Auburn, etc are good, but none have sustained dominance, nor are they any better or more popular than OU or Ohio State or whatever. Nick Saban is going to have to retire at some point, and I wonder if the SEC is going to go back towards what it was 15-20 years ago, which is a good conference but on the same playing field as everyone else.
Yea, really captures the fear that this isn't a great long term solution when you could have joined the PAC which is the exact opposite in terms of markets. Are we taking the money now only so we can get stuck with a bunch of rednecks for the next 30 years? (some offense intended).
That's a really good point and question. If this is ultimately about media markets, does the SEC really have the advantage it seems to have right now given Alabama's dominance. I'm gonna say....maybe not....but ESPN has a vested interest in making sure that its "experts" tell you repeatedly that it is the cream of the crop and everyone else is a poor substitute. ESPN is the loudest voice in the room on all this, honestly.
Exactly what I'm wondering. There was a reason UT didn't want the SEC in the last round of expansion, and I really wonder if we'll regret it. Of course, I hate the move for those same reasons, so I may be biased.
SEC would still be the best. There's always someone out there dominating. LSU won a shared national title right before Alabama became a powerhouse (and other national titles). Urban Meyer Florida teams. Undefeated Auburn. McFadden Arkansas (not even a great team, just riffing).
Yes, it was consistently shown when they played out of conference. The best team isn't always in the conference, but the conference as a whole is much, much better than any other. Even if you remove Bama, the SEC has 8 national titles (by 4 programs) since the big 12 was formed. The PAC/Big 12/Big 10 combined have 7.
They had the Florida/LSU/Florida stretch right before Alabama took over, but prior to that, they only won a half-title over the previous 7 years from 1999-2005. And they won 3 titles in the 15 years before that. I'm not saying they weren't a good conference - just not on a different level than the other big conferences. Take out Alabama and I'm not sure they are much different than anyone else - but with the negative of being a fairly limited media market relative to the B10 and ACC, and not much different than the P12 or B12 if you leave TX/OU as is.
This is an interesting post and we'll have to see how it shakes out. I don't think media markets matter when it comes to pulling in casual fans. That was the Big 10's rationale when it added Rutgers and that doesn't seem to have turned New York into a college football hotbed. As you noted in another post, conferences ebb and flow when it comes to national prominence and dominance. The BCS era had a pretty even distribution of power between the PAC-10 (USC), Big 12 (Texas and Oklahoma), SEC (Florida) and Big 10 (Ohio State) before Saban turned Alabama into the juggernaut that it is today. However, Saban's dominance also coincided with the shift to the College Football Playoff and the complete destruction of bowl games' importance. The SEC was able to turn itself into an NFL pipeline as they lay claim to 50% of annual playoff appearances and national titles while other (ahem Pac 12) were unable to field teams on the biggest stage and lost recruiting ground to more successful programs. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but the recent history of the playoff sometimes has me missing the days of the BCS. The entire season wasn't zero-sum, bowl games mattered and affected final rankings (TCU winning the Rose Bowl, Boise State beating OU, etc.) instead of being dismissed as consolation prices and conference championships were big deals instead of formalities to the playoff committee.
It's easy to say "if Alabama didn't exist" but the prevailing wisdom is that in a world with an Alabama power vacuum the odds are that the rest of the SEC would somehow fill it. Florida, LSU, Auburn... they have all been just as good of properties if not better than any other conference's breadwinners over the last 20~ years. Hell even Tennessee and Georgia have had their moments, now A&M is coming online too. Hell, most of the years Alabama was winning they were doing so at the direct expense of the SEC's #2 program. If you're betting long on any conference, I'd think the SEC is the easy choice followed closely by the B1G. Media markets... who knows how much that really matters. I think it's important for a program's floor, but not important for their ceiling. Also worth noting that, population-wise, the Sunbelt (SEC country) is growing way faster than the B1G. Part of why the B1G reached so hard to get Rutgers and Maryland... the Midwest is a dead stick.
The media revenues incentivize Florida, LSU, Auburn, Tennessee and post-Saban Alabama to pay for good coaches and double-down on massive contracts if the incumbent doesn't pan out. Also creates a snowball effect for hot assistants and recruiting talent, which they already have a natural advantage in. Separately local schools will pay more for coaches and stadiums if the parents think making all district is a quicker path to local state schools than just getting a math/verbal score with "1" in front of it.
This is bang on. Look at the NCAA basketball tournament. Arguably the best tournament in sports today and March Madness is three of my favorite weeks of the year. However, that plus conference tournaments, has made the regular season meaningless. Don't get me wrong. I root for my team, I wear gear, friends meet at my house to watch the game, etc. But there is no actual importance to any game. I live in Austin, UT OU used to have actual meaning. Fairly early in the season the loser was out of national title consideration. Still a rivalry game, but the loser gets a second chance in the conference championship. And its just not the dagger in the heart of your hated rival game it used to be.
I assume they also dominate the markets they are in though, even if they are smaller. College football is number 1 in the southeast and its not close. Out west, college football is just another sport, and a lesser one at that. There aren't crazy followings like there are in the South
The SEC has been getting preferential media coverage since the mid 90's back when SI decided to solely feature "Inside the SEC" pieces weekly. College football is regional/national based on alumni and pedigree. There isn't really a "media market" need based on historical ratings/revenues. But with as much as the structure/power is changing every 3-5 years, I'm not sure any relationship can be deemed "stable". The business of college sports is already beyond what the schools are able to fully grasp/handle. There is going to be constant shuffling.
I cant agree with this personally (my tastes). I never cared about anything other than the national title. I didn't even get excited about non-title BCS games. Who cares about final rankings when nobody remembers them a few weeks later? Who cares about winning some bowl? It's not the title. Conference Championships were more important IMO. With the exception of the Big 12 Conf Title during the 10-team era (lulz on that).
Baylor men’s just got Keyonte George (he could still go pro imo) and will land Vince Uwuchukwu. The basketball program is picking up ridiculous steam and I think Aranda has the football team headed in the right direction. Control what you can and just win baby
Football's a different animal and I hope that works out somehow, but I hope yall's hoops goes the way of Gonzaga to where it does not matter what conference you're in, schedule enough other great teams and get ready for the tourney.
