Who would you guys like to see the SEC add to fill out a 16 team conference?

[RTR91]

I was listening to Scarbinsky and Scott Griffin's show this morning. Scott kept saying he wanted the SEC to expand and beat anyone to the punch. Not sure I agree with him. Scarbinsky tried to make the point that I think is so true in this case - who is the SEC going to get? Scott is all about FSU, but Florida reportedly is very much against it.

The biggest problem facing the conferences going forward (the SEC in particular because of the stereotype) is finding the teams that make the conference better.

 

[ALA2262]

May as well say NCSU and VT because if/when the SEC goes to 16 those are the 2 schools that will be added.

 

[freefall]

I hope we don't waste too much time and energy going after the DC market. We will never have the success there the tv numbers show possible. The SEC would be looked down on over the nose of the DC residents. Not to be political but we southerners would be laughed at because many of us own guns, believe in God and talk funny. Do you really believe tv's in the DC and Arlington area will tune in to watch southern pride on display during barbecues on the lawns of the wealthy and Washington power brokers?

As I said earlier, the "DC market" is really northern VA and four or so counties in Maryland that border/are close to the district. You can pretty much ignore DC proper, because (a) it's only 600k people, and (b) most of them don't care about college football anyway. So to answer your question, no, I don't expect that many folks in Arlington/Alexandria/DC would tune in to SEC games. But just because we're close to the district doesn't mean that we're all tree-hugging liberals; plenty of us talk funny and own guns, too! :wink:

IMO the question is whether or not the addition of a VA school will deliver enough of the DC market in addition to some of the smaller VA markets (i.e., Tidewater, Richmond, and SWVA) to make it financially attractive. I think that if you were able to add one school each from NC and VA that the answer would be a resounding "YES", but who knows...

 

[bamamc1]

I was listening to Scarbinsky and Scott Griffin's show this morning. Scott kept saying he wanted the SEC to expand and beat anyone to the punch. Not sure I agree with him. Scarbinsky tried to make the point that I think is so true in this case - who is the SEC going to get? Scott is all about FSU, but Florida reportedly is very much against it.

The biggest problem facing the conferences going forward (the SEC in particular because of the stereotype) is finding the teams that make the conference better.

:BigA:You could not pay me to listen to kevin acAUrbinsky.

 

[MattinBama]

While I don't necessarily want anyone else right now, and would want a team like Virginia Tech as one of them the smartest thing might would be to try and bring in Duke & North Carolina as a combo to add even more power to the basketball side of the conference. This would also give us another average football team and another team for Vandy to feud with for the bottom in football as well.

 

[RTR91]

:BigA:You could not pay me to listen to kevin acAUrbinsky.

Don't worry. I'm not trying to, nor would I. :biggrin2: In all honesty, he's not bad on the radio. His last show was bad because of his partner.

 

[Rama Jama]

Someone earlier alluded to the Strength of Schedule being the end of the SEC's dominanace. I do not think adding more teams will affect the schedules as long as you do not add additional conference games. You will still play the same number of teams and while there mahy be one more team that is decent, it doens't bother me to play those kinds of games. You also have to remember that all the other confereces will be following the SEC's lead and will likely play the same number of conference games that the teams will be playing.

 

[KrAzY3]

it doens't bother me to play those kinds of games.

I'm glad it doesn't bother you to play those games... but you don't play those games. And that's really the entire point. It's not Madden we're talking about, those bruises, broken bones, and bloody wounds have to heal in real life.

A conference game in the ACC is different from a conference game in the SEC. That's without these add every good football team you can think of scenarios some people are coming up with. Or, do we forget that Arkansas was once ranked third last year, beat the #2 Big 12 team and only lost to the top two teams? What about Alabama, who nearly lost out on a title shot because they played LSU in the regular season? So, not all conference games are equal and making them even tougher just means more of the SEC beating each other up. Eventually it would be too much for even them to overcome.

 

[rgw]

I agree with Krazy, adding competitively middle-tier programs that are financially prudent choices are the best. There is not a need for more Alabama's and LSU's in this conference but if we can add a team that adds more depth in the middle then I'm all for it.

 

[Displaced Bama Fan]

Oklahoma and OSU or Texas.

 

[freefall]

A conference game in the ACC is different from a conference game in the SEC.

Unless you're talking about Auburn and Georgia Tech. In that case, chances of having your knees ruined are about the same.

 

[bamajmc]

Obviously (unlike last time with Mizzou & A&M) we need teams actually from the SOUTHEAST!
I think Clemson has always been a closet SEC school and adding them along with FSU would be awesome for the conference.

 

[BigGunn]

I like NCS and Va Tech. I like our new members and am looking forward to their jumping into the fray. Never on notre dame. Wouldn't care what they bring with them. Tough teams are what put the SEC at the top. Even supposed "new tough teams" in our league would make things rotate in the middle more until they get into the SEC and go through their growing pains, about 20 years or so. But we like a good game here don't we?

RTR

 

[Aggie Scott]

You don't want Texas!!!!! Texas is the reason A&M, Mizzou, NU and CU left! Besides they won't give up the LHN. Trust me on this! The big12 exists only for Texas to have a platform to promote themselves. As an A&M grad, the one thing the SEC does is they promote the conference, not one school.
OU and OK St. would be good, BUT the Oklahoma market is not enough to justify adding them. If you could get one of them, then a VT or NCSt/NC, that would be a addition from a economic standpoint.
Realistically, I see the SEC adding VT and NCSt.or NC. Both are good television markets and you add two states to the SEC footprint. As soon as FSU and Clemson jump to the b12, things are going to start hopping!
The biggest fish out there is Notre Dame! I don't see them going SEC though. If they join a conference, it will be the B1G.

 

[Marg]

i hoped for it last time and it didn't happen, but i still would be interested in seeing unc and duke as additions. no need for any additional football powerhouses. i just don't see how another elite football school would significantly impact television negotiations, which is the driving force for the expansions. however, to add 2 top-notch bball schools would give a whole new level of importance to the league's reputation in that sport (and neither would put too much burden on the football sos). imo, football has maxed out what it can realistically leverage (past 6 champs and strong following of fans), but bball could really be cranked up. think about what kind of deal would happen with the sec network currently in discussions if both football and bball were of similar calibur. also, and i know most don't care about this point, both schools would benefit the academic side of the conference and add more prestige in that area as well.

 

[rgw]

I don't think the SEC needs a Texas or OU to legitimize the conference. Depth at the top of a conference is always limited. It's tough for a conference to support more than two elite teams in a year, somebody has to take a step down to the tier Arkansas has occupied recently. SEC simply isn't hurting for elite teams but we could always use more depth in them middle and the "right below the top" tier.

This is no insult to your team, Aggie Scott, but TAMU is likely going to fit into that space Arkansas and South Carolina occupy right now. They're good teams, they even beat the best teams occasionally, but they aren't going to be consistently a dominating team like LSU, Florida, and Alabama recently. I think that TAMU could eventually get to that level Georgia has in the conference. They win some titles but they're more of a regional power than a national power.

 

[CullmanTide]

To me at this point only 5 teams make sense. Virginia, VT, NC St., North Carolina and Duke. Duke only makes sense if paired with UNC. Either Virginia school only makes sense if paired with one from North Carolina excluding Duke.

 

[GrayTide]

From the tone of a lot of fans who have posted on here since last summer regarding conference expansion they act like adding Missouri and TAMU is akin to adding two more Vanderbilts. Those folks are going to get a rude awakening.

 

[rgw]

I think it's practically akin to adding a South Carolina (Mizzou) and Arkansas/Georgia (TAMU). I don't want to sound like I'm talking them down...I think that's a pretty accurate statement.

 

[GrayTide]

I think it's practically akin to adding a South Carolina (Mizzou) and Arkansas/Georgia (TAMU). I don't want to sound like I'm talking them down...I think that's a pretty accurate statement.

I think that is a fair assessment.