SEC Expansion: Is Virginia Tech Right for the Conference?

It seems that conference realignment has become an ever-changing subject the past few weeks. Some experts hate it, others love it. The only thing we do know is that the collegiate sports landscape won’t look the same tomorrow as it did yesterday.

Pittsburgh and Syracuse ran to the ACC, and Texas A&M joined the SEC. Luckily for the ACC, they still have an even number of schools in the conference. The same cannot be said for the Southeastern Conference.

Once Texas A&M joins the SEC next June, the SEC will have 13 teams in the league. The question now is which team can even out the numbers and become the 14th member. Many different schools have been rumored to be the lucky (or unlucky) school to join.

Clemson and Florida State were among the first to be rumored. Then Missouri was rumored and even appeared to be destined to join the conference. But the Big 12 decided to double down and try to save the conference, so Missouri was out. Now others are being argued for such as West Virginia, Virginia Tech and even North Carolina State.

Virginia Tech makes the most sense out of these three schools, but does that move even make sense in the first place?

The Hokies have an elite football program, but it is an elite ACC program. An elite ACC team does not translate to an elite SEC member. Virginia Tech plays the likes of Duke, Boston College and UNC every year. Replace those teams with Alabama, Florida and LSU and that isn’t exactly an even trade.

Virginia Tech would add a lot to the SEC, but would the favor be returned?

Positive for the SEC:

There isn’t an SEC team in the state of Virginia, so it is a virgin market that would add both Virginia and Washington D.C. to the SEC nation. That adds more revenue to the conference.

Virginia would also open up recruiting in the state for other SEC schools. Virginia High School football is full of talent, especially in the tidewater area of the state. Players like Tahj Boyd, E.J. Manuel and Tyrod Taylor would suddenly become more likely to join SEC schools, rather than stick with the ACC.

Virginia Tech joining the SEC also makes sense geographically. This isn’t exactly TCU joining the Big East. Virginia is what many consider to be the northern most southern state in the country and it is on the east coast unlike the state of Missouri or Texas. It seems like a perfect geographical match for the conference. Virginia Tech would also have a natural rival in Tennessee.

The Southeastern Conference would gain from Virginia Tech’s inclusion, but the real question around the Hokie Nation is how would their team fair in such a conference?

No one will argue against the fact that the SEC is the best football conference in the country, and no one would argue that the ACC isn’t. Upon joining the SEC, Virginia Tech would be a mediocre football team. The Hokies would probably have the same success as Tennessee of late and possibly even worse (considering their performance against Clemson). They would get better in time, but patience would be needed.

Virginia Tech’s success in the SEC would depend on two major aspects: facilities and recruiting.

Virginia Tech Facilities:  

The Hokies have one of the better practice facilities in the country. They also have locker rooms that are second to none. Those help a lot with recruiting young talent. Those aren’t the problems for the Hokies, however. The main problem, surprisingly enough, is Lane Stadium.

Lane Stadium is one of the largest in the ACC with a capacity of 66,000 plus. It is also, arguably, the loudest stadium in the conference. But that 66,000 is small compared to stadiums in the SEC. Many SEC stadiums have capacities between 80,000 to 100,000.

The noise created in Lane could compete with other schools, but that isn’t what really matters in this argument. More fans means more revenue, and more revenue means a larger recruiting budget. A larger recruiting budget could give the Hokies more young talent.

Lane Stadium could be renovated to add more seats. Virginia Tech could fill in the corners of its  stadium, making it a large bowl rather than four separate sides, but that would be a multimillion-dollar investment. That isn’t going to happen in this economy.

Without renovation, Virginia Tech would have the same recruiting budget, which leads to:

Virginia Tech Recruiting:

Say what you will about Virginia Tech’s talent this year, but you can’t argue that Frank Beamer doesn’t recruit the state of Virginia well. The Hokies own the state when it comes to recruiting. It is rare when top talent leaves for other schools.

Virginia Tech joining the SEC opens the state up for other schools. This is a double-edged sword. Beamer would be recruiting against the likes of Alabama's Nick Saban and LSU's Les Miles, rather than recruiting against Mike London. Virginia players could end up going to Alabama instead of becoming Hokies.

The good news is that the talent pool in the Deep South would open up for Frank Beamer, but that is a big gamble. Virginia Tech could lose everything and gain nothing in return.

Virginia Tech to the SEC?

This move makes a lot of sense for the SEC, but it makes almost no sense for the Hokies. Virginia Tech would become a program like Georgia, at best—a team that is in contention on occasion and mediocre the rest of the time.

If the Hokies want to stay an elite program then they need to stay in the ACC, which they have dominated for the last seven years. If they want to become a little more talented but mediocre, then the SEC is beckoning.

This would be a bad move for Virginia Tech. Only time, the school President and Athletic Director will tell if Virginia Tech will become the 14th member of the Southeastern Conference.