College Football Realignment

[Slyder]

Originally Posted by WVRed

In-state though, the SEC is already on TV in West Virginia as the Huntington/Charleston area has a Kentucky following and games are shown in the area.

WVU might have high ratings, but the SEC is already on in the state. Pittsburgh is the only draw that would entice the SEC because there is already a presence in-state.

Pittsburgh, Carolinas in general, DC, Baltimore, Ohio all have pretty big WV contingents of fans or former residents who moved for career reasons. Not to mention putting the SEC right on the Big 10s doorstep.

[bucksfan2]

Originally Posted by Sea Ray

What do they gain by adding FSU and Miami? South Beach? Seems to me the SEC would want to expand its market to a state where they don't have a presence, like Virginia, North Carolina or Maryland

What markets do the SEC have now? I think they want to build the best conference in general to for a national ESPN deal. As of right now most of the SEC Schools are located in smallish college towns. I guess you could say their 4 largest markets are Atlanta, Knoxville, Orlando, and Lexington.

IMO they want to build a conference and say "We are the premier and are going to be the premier conference in college sports" and use that to parlay a huge CBS/ESPN contract.

[Sea Ray]

Originally Posted by bucksfan2

What markets do the SEC have now? I think they want to build the best conference in general to for a national ESPN deal. As of right now most of the SEC Schools are located in smallish college towns. I guess you could say their 4 largest markets are Atlanta, Knoxville, Orlando, and Lexington.

IMO they want to build a conference and say "We are the premier and are going to be the premier conference in college sports" and use that to parlay a huge CBS/ESPN contract.

The best college towns are not in big cities. My guess is the SEC likes it that way.

I think adding Texas is not a good idea. Too big of a fish to swallow. They're already the premier football conference without any doubt. Adding a school like UNC would be nice for their basketball and academics but I have no idea if that unterests the folks in Chapel Hill

[RiverRat13]

Originally Posted by Sea Ray

The best college towns are not in big cities. My guess is the SEC likes it that way.

I think adding Texas is not a good idea. Too big of a fish to swallow. They're already the premier football conference without any doubt. Adding a school like UNC would be nice for their basketball and academics but I have no idea if that unterests the folks in Chapel Hill

UNC would never join the SEC. Never.

[Sea Ray]

Originally Posted by RiverRat13

UNC would never join the SEC. Never.

I tend to agree with you there

[WMR]

IMO, Baby Blue would only move to the SEC if they could bring DOOK with them and that would never happen. (If the ACC ceased to exist, for example.)

[WMR]

I still think the 14th will be either Missouri, Va Tech, or FSU. (In order of likelihood.)

[RiverRat13]

Originally Posted by WMR

IMO, Baby Blue would only move to the SEC if they could bring DOOK with them and that would never happen. (If the ACC ceased to exist, for example.)

Carolina would join the Big 10 or Big East before joining the SEC.

[WMR]

Originally Posted by RiverRat13

Carolina would join the Big 10 or Big East before joining the SEC.

Big East over SEC? That's a joke, right?

Big East is where you go to avoid Conference USA or the Sun Belt (although I hear that Florida International has a hell of a team this year ).

[IslandRed]

Originally Posted by WMR

Big East over SEC? That's a joke, right?

Be wary of projecting the SEC value system onto a school that doesn't share it.

[WMR]

Originally Posted by IslandRed

Be wary of projecting the SEC value system onto a school that doesn't share it.

What school doesn't value money and stability?

The idea that any school would willingly choose the worst and least stable BCS conference (although, truthfully, the Big 12 could also compete for least stable title) over the best and most stable is just silly.

[IslandRed]

Originally Posted by WMR

What school doesn't value money and stability?

The idea that any school would willingly choose the worst and least stable BCS conference (although, truthfully, the Big 12 could also compete for least stable title) over the best and most stable is just silly.

Well, if you're going to force me to say it... UNC is a public school that views itself as a private school, they're kind of snobs about their academic reputation, they're sensitive to the company they keep, and they think moving to the SEC would be like moving to the projects.

Doesn't matter if you or I agree with it, that's how they think. Football simply doesn't drive the decision-making the way it does at most other schools.

Now if it was their basketball team at risk and they needed the SEC to save it...

[WMR]

Originally Posted by IslandRed

Well, if you're going to force me to say it... UNC is a public school that views itself as a private school, they're kind of snobs about it, they're sensitive to the company they keep, and they think moving to the SEC would be like moving to the projects.

Doesn't matter if you or I agree with it, that's how they think. Football simply doesn't drive the decision-making the way it does at most other schools.

Now if it was their basketball team at risk and they needed the SEC to save it...

Okay, I could see the argument in your first paragraph as a reason to go to the B10 over the SEC, but certainly not the Big East.

I disagree with you, however, that football wouldn't be a primary consideration even for a traditional basketball power like UNC.

Football is driving the bus in all of this, even when it's at a "non-football" school.

How many schools in the Big East would have a comfortable time finding a landing spot in a BCS conference were the Big East to cease to exist (Or lose its automatic qualifier status?)

BTW: Vandy thinks UNC and their holier-than-thou worldview are pikers.

[IslandRed]

Originally Posted by WMR

Okay, I could see the argument in your first paragraph as a reason to go to the B10 over the SEC, but certainly not the Big East.

I disagree with you, however, that football wouldn't be a primary consideration even for a traditional basketball power like UNC.

Football is driving the bus in all of this, even when it's at a "non-football" school.

A consideration? Sure. The consideration that overrides all others, including academics and basketball? In UNC's case, I'd bet against.

Anyway, it's all hypothetical. Even in a superconference free-for-all, there are going to be at least four leagues, and with the SEC, Big Ten and Pac carving up pretty much everything worth having west of the Eastern time zone, that still leaves an eastern conference. The ACC and Big East might have to merge and spin off the basketball-only schools, but UNC is in no danger of being left out of the party as I see it.

[WMR]

Originally Posted by IslandRed

A consideration? Sure. The consideration that overrides all others, including academics and basketball? In UNC's case, I'd bet against.

Anyway, it's all hypothetical. Even in a superconference free-for-all, there are going to be at least four leagues, and with the SEC, Big Ten and Pac carving up pretty much everything worth having west of the Eastern time zone, that still leaves an eastern conference. The ACC and Big East might have to merge and spin off the basketball-only schools, but UNC is in no danger of being left out of the party as I see it.

Definitely not, UNC will be fine.

I think you're right about the ACC and Big East merging but, IMO, you would see the ACC remain almost entirely intact and taking only the "upper crust" of the Big East to fill in the holes created by expansion and members poached by one of the other "superconferences."