College football realignment: SEC, Big Ten have 2 schools on radar, per report

A pair of schools could be on the radar of both the SEC and the Big Ten long-term as everyone prepares for the next wave of college football conference expansion and realignment

As the rumor mill around college football expansion and conference realignment starts to pick up again, the sport's two super-conferences are keeping their options open to see what schools from other leagues could come available in the future, and now their interest appears to reside in a pair of teams currently in the ACC.

North Carolina and Virginia are the two schools that both the SEC and the Big Ten would ideally prefer to add to their respective conferences sometime down the road should the opportunity ever come open, according to ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel.

Given that such additions would not be the most exciting football programs on the table for either conference — Clemson, Florida State, and Miami come to mind on that score — the major plus by including these teams would be their respective geography and market.

Both states are among the nation's 15 most populous, and much of Virginia backs up against Washington, D.C., one of the country's largest and wealthiest media markets.

The schools also share a historic football series, the "South's Oldest Rivalry," an animosity that dates back to 1892, and which remains relatively close between them.

It is not believed the SEC would be interested in adding either of the ACC member schools in the state of Florida, as that conference already believes it has a strong foothold in the state with the Gators program and the league's dominant recruiting presence there.

Related: Finebaum reacts to ACC rumors, SEC moves

But grabbing ACC teams could be difficult

The speculative addition of any ACC team seems the least likely right now given that conference's apparently air-tight grant of rights agreement that runs through 2036.

That deal includes a reported massive $120 million exit fee for teams wanting to get out before then, plus the league would get to keep the media rights to those departing teams' home football games.

That led seven ACC members to do some recon work behind the scenes to see if there was a way out of the deal.

And, seeing there likely wasn't one, they then asked the conference to spread its money out a little more in their direction, with the ACC responding with a promise to do just that, though exactly how remains a question.

What's next?

Any interest the SEC or Big Ten has in North Carolina or Virginia will have to wait at least a few years for either conference to have a realistic chance to add them, especially considering the ACC's current grant of rights agreement.

And once the conference realignment process starts up, it's expected that the Big 12 will be the league making the most aggressive moves.

There remains rampant speculation that the conference is interested in adding a number of teams, including current Pac-12 member Colorado, as well as possibly Arizona, in addition to a pair of surprise schools in Gonzaga and reigning national champion UConn as it seeks to add to its considerable basketball portfolio.

But should the SEC or Big Ten get back into the expansion business, North Carolina and Virginia appear to be at the top of the list.

Who would win that battle? We'll have to wait and see.

(Thamel)

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