SEC Expansion: How a 16-Team Conference Would Look and Its Effect on Alabama?

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) Super conferences aren't anything new. Alabama used to belong to two different conferences that had 27 and 23 teams, respectively; I covered that in a previous article.

So if the SEC expands to 16—and that's what I think will happen—how will that look?

Well, there will be an an even split between the East and West divisions, so that means adding three other teams besides Texas A&M, then deciding on existing teams that may need to be shuffled into other divisions to keep it "geographically correct."

Let's say the rumors that Texas A&M is coming over are true, who else would make up the other three?

I'm sure if Mike Slive had his way, he'd want to add teams that are good and could raise the television viewing area.

As attractive as Florida State would be from a competitive standpoint, would they seriously add an area of viewership the SEC doesn't already have?

Well, no; they already dominate that market.

But Miami would bring in a South Florida market that would be attractive.

Clemson has been talked about, but the Gamecocks already have that market in the SEC fold.

So what about Virginia Tech? That's a market that could bring in additional viewers, and they are a solid contender too.

So Slive might want to go for Miami and Virginia Tech in the East, but who would that leave in the West?

If you go by new viewers to be brought in, Texas A&M makes sense for the SEC, and another one might be Missouri. The Tigers can bring in a Midwest audience and the valuable St. Louis market.

As for how it may affect Alabama, the answer is simple. Adding quality teams can make winning the SEC that much more difficult—so there is that downside.

But the upside is that it will increase Alabama's exposure in areas where they may not be that well thought of, such as South Florida, Texas, Virginia and the Midwest. Recruits may sign with Alabama knowing hometown people will be watching, and they'll be back in their own neck of the woods to play sometimes.

History has proven that most all the teams in the conference benefit from recruiting in the area where they've taken on a new team into a conference.

The last upside is a one-loss SEC team could easily still be in consideration for a national title shot, whereas teams from other conferences may not be.

As I said in another article, super conferences are nothing new, but the ramifications from them and the money they generate really is something new.