More Conference Realignment? For SEC Football, It's Not Complicated

Given the history of the SEC, expansion must be done properly if it's to be done at all.

It takes one moving domino to set the world on fire. One could argue that the news of USC and UCLA leaving for the Big Ten was the moment college football flipped upside down.

Then again, you could make the argument that last year's whirlwind of Texas and Oklahoma exiting the Big 12 was a breaking point, right? SEC commissioner Greg Sankey might have said it best when paraphrasing Bob Dylan with the "Times are changing."

Change has arrived. Will there be anymore?

Reports circulated Thursday that the SEC would be negotiating to add Clemson, Virginia, Florida State and North Carolina to the league in the coming weeks. Several sources tell MizzouSportsTalk.com that conversations of expanding past 16 teams haven't been discussed entering SEC Media Days.

For the SEC, expansion doesn't need to be about just quantity. It's more so about quality. The Big Ten added two Pac-12 flagship programs in large part due to the lucrative Los Angeles media market that trails behind.

There's more to it. The Trojans and Bruins enhance the product tenfold. Damn the 2,500-mile commute and three time zone difference between USC and Penn State. If it's competitive, people will be all in. The same goes for a near 2,300-mile journey from UCLA's campus to Michigan State's.

The Big Ten is looking for quality opponents near the top. It's why the conference is all about adding Notre Dame first before offering applications to those left behind in the Pac-12. The Irish also arguably hold all the cards in terms on conference expansion since they generate enough revenue alone to survive and thrive as an independent.

Say the Big Ten offers a deal Notre Dame can't refuse. The premier programs of the expanded conference would include one of the biggest brands in sports, along with Ohio State, Michigan, USC and Penn State.

The SEC already have those programs and rivalries locked in for the foreseeable future. Not to mention the conference has the fan bases, pageantry and culture established that only enhances the product regardless of the records entering Saturdays.

The SEC already has legendary rivalry games like the Iron Bowl, the "Third Saturday in October" and the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party." The Texas A&M-Alabama has extra juice thanks to Jimbo Fisher-Nick Saban feud. And soon to come is Texas-OU and renewal of A&M-Texas.

Other rivalries continue at a lesser level, but you get the idea. In all aspects, the SEC isn't looking to immediately strengthen the conference since there isn't a need.

Since the birth of the College Football Playoff eight years ago, three SEC programs (Alabama, Georgia and LSU) have won five titles, including the last three. Twice the SEC has two teams in the championship game.

College athletics moving forward is about money and competition. Every move Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren makes, Sankey will likely try to counter and vice versa.

Even if the Big Ten were to add Notre Dame, Sankey likely isn't going out of his way to expand the conference geographically. The additions of Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Missouri in the last 15 years still make sense in terms of location.

Texas borders both Louisiana and Arkansas. Oklahoma touches Missouri and Arkansas. Those moves were carefully calculated by both Sankey and former SEC commissioner Mike Slive.

Those are the type of moves that would be made again.

Clemson is a crown jewel and already a rival with instate SEC program South Carolina. Florida State and Miami also fit the SEC footprint. North Carolina does, too, but there comes a catch with adding the Tar Heels, especially in basketball, and that's Duke.

Other programs such as North Carolina State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Louisville would make sense geographically. The same goes for perhaps Oklahoma State and Baylor from the Big 12 due to their recent success. Then again, would it translate toward a better revenue? Would the product improve to where it "just means more?"

Keep in mind that joining the SEC would become a headache for programs as they look to void television deals. ESPN has ACC schools under wraps until 2036. How much would it cost to break the current contract per program?

Would it even be worth it?

Expansion could be coming soon to make the Power Five into the Tyrant Two. For the Big Ten, it simply could be adding teams just to fit a quota.

That's never been the case for the SEC. "Times they are a changin'" as Dylan wrote, but some things will always remain the same.

The SEC being the standard is likely one of them.

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You can follow Cole Thompson on Twitter at @MrColeThompson

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