College football expansion: What the SEC plans to do next in realignment

Where does the SEC go next in the college football expansion and reliagnment picture?
College football expansion: What the SEC plans to do next in realignment
College football expansion: What the SEC plans to do next in realignment /

Last offseason, the SEC kicked off the most recent phase of college football expansion when the league announced it would add Texas and Oklahoma.

What's the next step in expansion and reliagnment as far as the SEC is concerned?

According to Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, the conference has no further plans to add any more teams after it expands to 16 in the summer of 2025.

Asked if the SEC is done expanding, Byrne replied, "I sure think so," according to college football insider James Crepea.

Oklahoma and Texas are scheduled to join the SEC on July 1, 2025, ensuring that the league will become the first 16-team structure in Power Five college football.

Byrne's thinking appears to run in line with the rest of the SEC where expansion is concerned.

"We're positioned at 16 for a robust future," one athletic director said, via SDS. "The need just isn't there."

People inside the SEC don't believe there are any other properties on the market that would help increase the existing value of the conference.

Not even if Notre Dame were to join the Big Ten in the future?

"Why? I'll put our product vs. anyone's product," the AD said. "So we're going to just add schools to add schools? There's no value in that."


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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He previously covered football for 247Sports and CBS Interactive. College Football HQ joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022.