Kirby Smart: SEC may secede from NCAA

[rjtide]

Wow. Pretty strong comments if ya ask me. Though personally I'm not sure if the SEC honestly is a strong enough national brand of a conference to be able to go it alone without the NCAA. But good for discussing

With expansion argument brewing, Smart hints at SEC secession

Conversations around conference expansion have dominated the college football spring meetings thus far, and Kirby Smart's comments on Tuesday about the SEC essentially seceding if an agreement can't be reached have created plenty of questions.

www.espn.com

 

[CrimsonBloodn62]

Wow. Pretty strong comments if ya ask me. Though personally I'm not sure if the SEC honestly is a strong enough national brand of a conference to be able to go it alone without the NCAA. But good for discussing

With expansion argument brewing, Smart hints at SEC secession

Conversations around conference expansion have dominated the college football spring meetings thus far, and Kirby Smart's comments on Tuesday about the SEC essentially seceding if an agreement can't be reached have created plenty of questions.

www.espn.com

I didn’t read the article, but the SEC probably should’ve broken away 5–8 years ago and created a super conference when they still had leverage. Threatening to break away from the NCAA now just feels like an attempt to put a bandage on an already broken system.

 

[CB4]

It’s about leverage. If the SEC can find a way to make it work, it could be the first step towards getting rid of a feckless NCAA and installing a governing body with the power to reign in NIL, transfers, eligibility and revenue sharing. You can bet if SEC can make it work, Tony Petitti and the B1G10 won’t be far behind.

 

[davefrat]

Secede and do what?

 

[CoolBreeze]

Good for bowl cut. SEC should break away and start our own league. No one can compare to the strength of schedule we play anyway so no need to keep pretending.

 

[AlexanderFan]

It’s a little late after you’ve been outbid and not won a national title in the last three years.

This is all big schools, or nothing. Why would kids come to a separate SEC league with guidelines and salary structure when they could go anywhere else and hold all the leverage? Players have zero reason to come to a negotiation table because every ruling has gone their way.

To bust unions, companies shut down for a few years to let the contracts fall off, then crank back up and hire without the closed shop unions.

College athletics is going to have to shut down, let these kids get desperate, and then sit down to negotiate.

I’m all ears for another way to bring them to the table.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

How will the SEC create a governing body with actual power that players agree to play under? If the SEC trys it alone, why would any top recruit choose it with all the restrictions of this new governing body when the NCAA is still the wild west that the players control?

This only works if the SEC and the B1G do it together. That combined league would have far more leverage over the NCAA. If they try to do it separately or alone, I think the NCAA holds the leverage.

 

[JDCrimson]

This is why Kirby is a football coach and not a business executive. He is not thinking about this deep enough. The competition, ultimately the talent/skill of the players, not fan interest, is what creates the value of the conference. Nowadays if the money is right a player will go play in an empty stadium.

 

[TideEngineer08]

That's a good way to kill off the SEC.

Sankey has been outmaneuvered by the Big Ten at almost every step of the way during his tenure as SEC commissioner. They hold the power right now and without the Big Ten breaking away as well, this will not work.

 

[Transplanted]

Hes just ****ed the playing field is more even now and he can’t get away with his under the table nonsense

 

[Padreruf]

The reality is that the SEC does not want the lawsuits that would come from athletes -- and their defection to other schools. The NCAA has one purpose now -- to handle the legal aspects en masse. IF they cannot get the situation settled -- and fast -- then good bye collegiate sports.

 

[bamamc1]

That's a good way to kill off the SEC.

Sankey has been outmaneuvered by the Big Ten at almost every step of the way during his tenure as SEC commissioner. They hold the power right now and without the Big Ten breaking away as well, this will not work.

Sankey should be fired. When he caved to the Big 10 and added a 9th conference game and the league didn't get a dime more from ABC-ESPN, he should have been shown the door.

 

[mdb-tpet]

Now where have I heard this self-defeating language before...hmmm.

 

[AWRTR]

I didn’t read the article, but the SEC probably should’ve broken away 5–8 years ago and created a super conference when they still had leverage. Threatening to break away from the NCAA now just feels like an attempt to put a bandage on an already broken system.

In the middle of Bama's run with LSU and UGA being powers as well it would have been workable. The rest of the conference was strong as well with many other teams being really good from year to year. You may have been able to pull some other big brands like Clemson, FSU, Miami, UTw, and OK to make it really viable.

Now the Big Ten has to go with you. If they would agree to go and form an AFC NFC type situation it would still work.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

Unless and until there’s Congressional action (legislation, an anti trust exemption, or a CBA) any successor to the NCAA will face the same court rulings as brought down the NCAA.

Sound and fury signifying nothing.

 

[JDCrimson]

If this is even a serious discussion then I think you have to do 2 things to make this viable, attractive to talent and strategically oppose Big10 expansion...

- Expand the conference to 32 teams all from below the Ohio River and south of Kansas targeting the 16 most valuable programs from this region, and
- Fire Sankey and install Saban as the commissioner of the expanded conference. You dont make this transition under Sankey's leadership.

Teams you merge...
Virgina
Virginia Tech
North Carolina
NC State
Duke
Clemson
GaTech
FSU
Miami
Louisville
Okie State
TCU
Texas Tech
Baylor
 SMU
Houston/Wake Forest

Avoid Notre Dame. No conference can manage Texas and Notre Dame. Avoid Mountain and Pacific Time teams. Capture the Big 12 and ACC TV revenue, let Big10 have Notre Dame.

I think all the above teams would jump at the chance. I honestly think it is the only way to restore SEC pre-eminence that Sankey has given away.

 

[LeBron47]

I get the last three NT going to Big Ten but I would like to look at this in a different angle. The SEC entered 5 teams in last years CFP. Big Ten only three. Yes they won the Big prize but my question is what would the CFP looked like with our five out of the tournament?

Watching the WCWS there are five SEC teams out of 8 in the series. What does it look like with those teams out. How many SEC players are drafted first round v Big Ten… Smart players are going to play the long game what are their chances going to the Big League from other conferences v SEC.

Yes they would have to bring more teams in from the other conferences mentioned but just as the AFL forced a Super Bowl v AFC and NFC eventually it would place the Champions of Big Ten v SEC in a superbowl type finish.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Yeah yeah, and where's the cash? Unless / until we see the trail of cash this is pointless.

 

[JDCrimson]

I did a quick AI search on conference revenue, the SEC could actually expand to 32 teams and it would likely expand the revenue per team from $68m per year to something north of $72m. I think the break away becomes even more valuable because you capture a good bit of the NCAA basketball tournament value. Baseball and softball possibly become more valuable in a 32 team conference.

Not the craziest idea afterall...

Whats more in theory you have minimized anti-trust issues because a student athlete could play under the roster rules of the NCAA, Big10, or SEC. Then you can re-install some actual rules in all this mess.

 

[JDCrimson]

A Big10 Expansion to 32 teams would probably look like...

Boston College
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
West Virginia
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Colorado
Utah
BYU
Washington State
Oregon State
California
Stanford
Arizona
Arizona State

I expect Notre Dame would remain independent.