Auburn Tigers Football 2011: What Conference Expansion Does for the Tigers

With Texas A&M making the apparent shift to the SEC the questions remain as to who the conference will look to be the 14^th member of the conference. Numerous options are out there and much speculation surrounds who the next team will be.

Some of those appear to be teams that could fall into the Western Division. To avoid stacked divisions, the SEC will likely push a current member to the East. Auburn is the eastern most Western Division team making the shift natural.

So if the possible conference realignment does occur and the SEC adds another western team, what will be the destination of the Auburn Tigers? What changes would occur if the Tigers did make the shift? Would this help or hurt Auburn football?

If the conference alignment does finish within the year and the Western Division is left lopsided the Tigers are sure to move next door and join the East. It would not be a bad move for the Tigers as there are some rivalries that would find their way back to annual play like Florida. Auburn would also be in the same division as longtime rival Georgia.

If Missouri is the 14^th fit for the SEC like some have rumored, the Tigers will end up in the East.

What Changes to expect with Division jump

Moving Auburn to the Eastern Division does a number of things for the Tigers and the conference. As I said earlier it would bring back one of the longest rivalries in the SEC when Auburn and Florida would begin to play each other on a regular basis. It would also put Auburn in the same division as historic rival Georgia.

The concern for most fans would be what would happen to the Alabama game. The Alabama game would not get left behind with an alignment. It would likely become a locked game for both schools every year.

For Auburn to find its way to the Eastern Division there have to be major moves that have yet to be seen but it could be a great move for the conference and especially Auburn.

If Auburn were to make the division jump another change would likely come involving the number of locked games out of division play. Right now the SEC allows each team one guaranteed lock every year. I don’t see the SEC forcing some major players to choose so expect the SEC to increase the number to two locked games a season.

If Auburn made the jump to the East there would also be the opportunity for the Tigers to play the Tide twice in one season. Talk about adding fuel to the fire. Imagine a Tigers and Tide conference championship. It isn’t likely, but it’s possible.

Auburn is the most likely team to be effected by a shift of divisions and there doesn’t seem to be a lot to lose but a ton to gain for the Tigers if the shift does occur.

Would a shift help or hurt Auburn Football?

There are going to be varying opinions on how the conference realignment will change the face of the Southeastern Conference. With conference expansion comes controversy and even talks of super conferences.

Super conferences may or may not be the future of college football but I do think that we are beginning to see a shift where the top tier teams will eventually separate. This may be the beginning of that change.

With the expansion and possible realignment Auburn would instantly find itself in a winning scenario. Because they are the most eastern team and would likely step into the East, but they would also have a bit of leverage before leaving the West.

I would expect Auburn to fit well in the East if it were to occur and there isn’t a doubt that games like the Iron Bowl would stand the test of conference realignment. If Auburn were to lock two games, I would expect either a Mississippi State or LSU lock. Neither LSU nor Mississippi State have two rivals in the East, so both schools should be open to the change and locked game.

Would Auburn miss out on some of the annual contests that the fans have come to love? Of course there would be changes but the gains on the schedule like Florida could easily squelch any concern about losing rivalries.

Will the Tigers move?

At the end of the day, I would expect that the SEC would want to add one team from the west (Texas A&M) and one team from the east. If the SEC can get a major east coast market there isn’t a doubt that they would jump at that opportunity.

There aren’t a lot of teams that you would necessarily think would fit the SEC mold in the east. The most likely additions would be Virginia Tech, N.C. State and Clemson. Tech and Clemson are likely out for various reasons but State is an institution that would fit what the SEC is looking for.

It’s not that the Wolfpack are overly potent in athletics, but it would open up a large market to the conference.

Under the most likely scenario one of the eastern teams would pick up an invite and the Tigers will end up staying put. There is always a chance that things change and that the SEC will add another western team and force additional conference realignment.

There is plenty of chatter that the SEC is interested in Missouri but the assumption is that the Tigers from the “show me state” would like to be shown the path to the Big 10.

The likelihood is that the Tigers stay in the West. Things change very rapidly in college football so nothing is set in stone but I would expect the Auburn Tigers to stay put in this round of change.