SEC Expansion: Outside the Box Solutions That Help Everyone

Before the University of Miami scandal, everyone was talking about SEC expansion. For a day, it was reported on ESPN that Texas A&M would join as would Clemson, Florida State and Missouri.

While that turned out to be false on every account, expansion still may occur in the SEC; they just seem to be waiting for the right moment to pounce.

For every Twitter rumor comes one that refutes it and every school other than Texas A&M is adamantly denying any type of conference switch.

No one knows when the SEC will make its move but it’s the move that they make that has everyone talking. Here are three options for SEC expansion that haven’t gotten as much publicity as the others.

Kick out Vanderbilt and Conquer the West

Texas A&M provides one of the most loyal fan bases in the country with a sizeable alumni population but the real money from the Big 12 lies with Texas and Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State is by all accounts a package deal with OU because of their power in the state legislature.

So take them too, they’re at least better than Vanderbilt who has yet to do anything substantial in the football world and the Pokes have a more storied basketball program.

Vanderbilt is an ACC school at heart and serves no other purpose to the SEC than an academic boost. In terms of football expansion, it does not help at all. Plus, universities academically benefit from great athletic programs because more kids want to go there, allowing them to be more selective.

Missouri brings an entirely new market to the SEC and if they’re interested in expanding their brand, which they should be, the Tigers are another great addition.

Every one of these schools, save maybe Oklahoma State, brings something to the table. Vanderbilt simply doesn’t.

Steal Tobacco Road and Either Virginia Tech, N.C. State or Missouri

North Carolina would have been a prime target for SEC expansion if not for two things: the scandal surrounding the football team and its allegiance to the rest of Tobacco Road which is primarily Duke despite their mutual hatred.

Scandal fits right in at the SEC so that shouldn’t be an issue but the North Carolina group of schools – UNC, Duke, N.C. State and Wake Forest—are all bound to the ACC.

But UNC and Duke are the power players so offer them both. Yes, Duke’s football program is just awful and has the same profile as Vanderbilt except Duke has won multiple national championships in basketball whereas the Commodores haven’t gotten past the elite eight in its history.

Getting two national fan bases on board in addition to their local markets, even if both schools aren’t currently up to par in football, would be great additions.

Assuming Texas A&M also joins, that leaves one spot and the SEC could take Virginia Tech, N.C. State or Missouri. Clemson and Florida State won’t get enough votes to join the league because of Florida, South Carolina and Georgia.

Virginia Tech has the best overall program, Missouri brings in the largest market and N.C. State completes the big three in Tobacco Road—sorry Wake Forest. The SEC can’t go too wrong with any of those schools.

Stay Exactly How It Is

They already denied Texas A&M once, why not do it again? And Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe saved his conference once, why not do it again?

The SEC is widely speculated to be the conference ready to pounce but unless they can split up Oklahoma from Oklahoma State or are willing to take the diva that is Texas and their Longhorn Network, all of this conversation may be for naught.

As stated earlier, current SEC schools wouldn’t want another school added from their state. Why would they?

Missouri is great from a market standpoint but doesn’t bring much in actual sports merit. Would the SEC really want to bring in a school who hasn’t been to a BCS bowl since 1969 in addition to Texas A&M who has never won a BCS bowl?

The present ACC members see no reason to move and the only school without some type of major allegiance is Virginia Tech whose athletic director Jim Weaver has stated "Virginia Tech is exceedingly pleased with our membership in the ACC. It is the perfect conference for us.”

Despite popular opinion the conference may just end up staying the way it is.

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