Lets assume that the Big 12 dies off soon

TideEngineer08

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Jun 9, 2009
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Am I the only one that doesn't like conference expansion?
I hate it. So much has been lost. I've said it so many times before but I'd rather go back to the days of a true Big 10, the SEC having 10 teams, the SWC, the Big 8, etc. Yes, Arkansas and South Carolina have done very well for themselves and have done well for the SEC. Missouri and Texas A&M seem to be doing the same.

But we've lost great rivalries. I doubt Auburn fans really care, but they used to have some big rivalry games with Tennessee and Florida that rarely get played anymore. Had it not been for the SEC championship game, Alabama wouldn't have played Florida that much over the years, and we rarely see Georgia. But look at the teams outside the old SEC and what has been lost: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, Texas A&M vs. Texas, Missouri vs. Kansas, Texas vs. Arkansas, Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia, Penn State vs. Pittsburgh, Maryland vs. Virginia, and then there are lesser games but games that were played well over a hundred times such as Nebraska vs. Kansas and Missouri.

So yes, I hate conference expansion. The game was so much more interesting back in those days. Yes, we always had some sort of controversy with the National Championship and 1 vs. 2 in a bowl game was a rare event. But part of what I loved about college football was how unique it was, how much of it was tied to tradition and history, and how different it was than the NFL.
 

Redwood Forrest

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Am I the only one that doesn't like conference expansion? I think we're already too big. It would prevent us from playing teams like Tennessee, UGA, and UF unless we meet in a conference playoff.

The SEC would still be the most brutal conference. The playoff would need to change to allow a 2 loss LSU or Alabama with a top 10 SOS to get into the playoffs even if a BYU or you name the team with a 96-SOS that wins more games than any SEC team while playing North TX and UAB.

It may go back toward the old days when Notre Dame was always top 3 until a Big Ten school beat them and immediately jumped over every SEC school into the top 3.

I guess nothing stays the same. Once they put a cap on the number of players a team can have it was inevitable. Especially with population growth and TV money.

It will be interesting to see how it shakes out. Teams like Arkansas that Field top 10 or better teams each year(usually) but just cant run thru the SEC West like a TCU can run thru their schedule, will be getting the shaft big time. That may go double for Missouri which has shown it can play ball with the best on most Saturdays, if it gets placed into the SEC West.

I may be off base as I do not study other conferences and their SOS.
I remember with fondness the Pac 8, Big 8, Big 10, SWC, SEC, and ACC. If memory serves those were the "Big Boys" of college football conferences. I would love to go back to that lineup today IF we would have a BCS system and then a Plus One game.
 

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