Vince Marrow and Mark Stoops may soon be competing against Oklahoma, Texas and who knows who else in conference play.
Based on a recent statement by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey it appears that Texas and Oklahoma will be joining the SEC after what will most likely be a rubber stamp approval from the current SEC schools. The current Big 12 contract for those schools runs through 2025 but the smart money seems to think that since the separation proceedings have already begun Oklahoma and Texas will join the SEC much sooner (no pun intended) than that.
It also looks like the move by those two schools will leave the Big 12 in a shambles. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby is working hard to put a positive spin on what is left of his conference but it’s like telling your children that although the family dog has run away they can still play with the goldfish. It’s just not the same.
But here’s the crazy part. Based on a recent article by Sports Illustrated, Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC might just be the tip of the iceberg. In an article by Brooks Austin of SI it quotes Jack McGuire of Barstool Sports as saying on Twitter, “SEC has been in serious contact with Ohio State, Michigan, Clemson, and Florida State.”
Not clear if this will materialize, but they have their eyes on a true 20 team MEGA conference. OU and Texas are just the start.”
That means if those schools also saw the conference realignment “handwriting on the wall” and jumped from their respective conferences to the SEC it pretty much would guarantee that college football and a good portion of college basketball would be controlled by the SEC.
In a 12-team football playoff, the SEC mega-conference would mostly likely have six or more teams if the rules were modified to allow that to happen. Or, a more likely scenario would be that the SEC would be the tail wagging the dog in the NCAA. Whatever the SEC wanted, they would get.
TV rights would be in the mega-billions, high school players would flock to those schools because of the national exposure and NIL potential, and up-and-coming coaches that hoped to advance their careers would see the SEC as a mini-NFL and use it as a stepping stone to land their dream job in the NFL.
On the flip-side, a basketball conference of 20 teams that included the likes of Kentucky, Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, Florida State along with up and coming teams like Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn, and Florida could create a lot of problems when deciding which teams are selected for the field of 64. It would be difficult for other conferences to see 15 teams from the same conference in the tournament but it could happen.
It appears the same would hold true for some other sports like baseball, women’s basketball, volleyball, and tennis. All those sports could be dominated by a monster conference that consisted of 20 of some of the best athletic schools in the country.
So, if that occurred what would happen to a few of the SEC schools that don’t currently have Top 20 programs in either of the major- revenue-producing sports. Is it fair to leave Vanderbilt in a revamped mega-conference like the SEC of the future could be? What about an Ole Miss, South Carolina or Missouri? Could UK end up as one of the teams on the outside looking in? Could any or all of those schools be replaced with a school that is more dominant in one sport (like football) or more well-rounded in both revenue-producing sports?
Maybe someone like North Carolina or Duke from the ACC or another Big 10 school like Michigan State, Iowa, or even Penn State? Or even a PAC 12 school like UCLA, USC, Oregon, or Stanford?
With all the realignment talk occurring along with the changes created by NIL money for players and a weakened NCAA that is currently trying to figure out how they remain relevant in college sports, the sporting world as we knew it a couple of years ago will no longer exist.
The $64,000 question is, “What will it look like in the future?” and at this point, no one really knows.
— Keith Peel, Contributing Writer
5 Responses
I think the SEC will adopt the "POD" system if not now will certainly do so in the future. This will allow an equitable distribution of game opponents and an expanded SEC playoff system. As for Kentucky, well, making it to the top is not going to get any easier. That said, making it to bowls just might favor teams like KY in a POD system.
Guess they have a plan RJohn but anxious to see what it is
They (whomever is the brains or power behind all this change) are going to keep on until they ruin college sports as we all once experienced and loved. It is like everything else today, it’s about power and money, it’s greed and arrogance. I say the NIL era is bad for college sports too, and only benefits a select few of pampered athletes, and that will be proven, in time. It’s a disaster for many athletes who just want to play college sports for the love of the game and for a free ride and a good education. All this nonsense is going to hurt UK IMO, especially in football, and maybe even basketball due to increased competition they will eventually face from these power houses like Texas and Oklahoma, on the playing field and recruiting trail. The SEC is tough enough already. It will get extremely more difficult in a mega conference like you outlined Keith, if that were to happen. It will hurt college athletics overall for many athletes and once proud programs all across this land who will have to exist, if they can, outside the SEC.
I agree with Larry, this makes no sense whatsoever. This is fantasy football with conferences as poker chips.
And seriously Ohio State and Michigan? No longer would be “the” Ohio State! Keep the SEC “The” Southeastern Conference and don’t take cling ons from failing conferences.
Money is just becoming like monopoly money. It is crazy Alan