Conference Expansion: How the SEC Will Lead the Way to Super Conferences

The Bowl Championship Series is a mess to say the least. For many years, the formula has been doubted and discredited. Well, each of the many different formulas used.

With talks of conference expansion around the world, the eyes are on the undisputed leader in college football, the Southeastern Conference.

The SEC was the first conference to have a championship game. The SEC had the first BCS champion, along with the last five. Undisputed.

Now, the SEC looks to become the first BCS conference with 14 teams. Currently, it has 13 with this year's addition of Texas A&M. Missouri will likely join the SEC and the dominoes will begin to fall for something so big that not even The Big House can hold it.

Imagine if the SEC, ACC, BIG, Big XII and Pac-12 took the FBS and the BCS to another level. That level being what is widely known as super conferences.

Picture 16 teams in each of these conferences, playing games against seven division opponents, two opposite division opponents and three non-conference opponents. Picture the Big XII bringing in more teams like TCU. Maybe bringing SMU back to prominence, even Houston.

Perhaps a distant idea, but not really, once pondered. With the SEC having 14 schools, everyone else will soon follow suit as always.

The Big XII is flirting with the idea and they sit at 10 teams currently. They have reportedly offered West Virginia and possibly Louisville a spot. If both schools were to join, and maybe bring along Cincinnati for the ride, the ball will be set in motion. Just add Tulsa, SMU and Houston, and the Big XII is now the Big XVI.

The SEC would then run to the delta of the mighty Mississip and grab Southern Miss. Perhaps then giving even Memphis what they want. A shot in the world's greatest conference.

ACC officials would have an easy job cherry picking many in the C-USA and Big East folks, adding to already picked Syracuse and Pittsburgh. South Florida and East Carolina fit quite nicely.

The Pac-12 would then have to suck it up and offer the Broncos of Boise State and at least a few more relative unknowns (Nevada, San Diego State, and Air Force come to mind). But those schools would eventually fit nicely in the Pac-12 philosophy of USC than everyone else.

The Big Ten is where the tricky parts emerge. With 12 teams currently, the conference is really a geographical mess, unless they were to add all of Michigan's directional schools. They would certainly have their pick of MAC teams, though. Toledo, Akron, Kent State, directional Michigan, Miami (OH) are all viable options for the conference. But Notre Dame would have to fit in somewhere.

It is easy to comprehend once you really think it through. The FBS is about making money, not football. It is simply a JV NFL team with players auditioning every week for their shot at the League. This would certainly make money.

With every conference having a championship game, the BCS turns out to be easier than ever before and the plus-one option is put into effect.

Doesn't that seem clear enough?