Question: Does it make total sense for FSU to join the SEC?

Cougar Football
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@rtcoog pls don’t merge

First and foremost. I understand FSU’s frustration. A brand of that caliber should not be making 1/3 of what Vanderbilt or Rutgers makes

  1. FSU ain’t going to the B1G without AAU membership. It just ain’t happening.
  2. The SEC already has the Florida region covered with the Gators, and the Gators will 100% be against adding FSU
  3. I would assume other SEC schools would be against adding FSU because of the competition
  4. ESPN currently pays FSU roughly the same as a Big 12 school, so why would they want FSU in the SEC if they have one of the best brands at a bargain price? Not only would they be paying FSU 3x as much in the SEC, but they would essentially be paying double for the same market because they already have the Gators
  5. The only reason the SEC would rush to add FSU (which clearly we can tell they’re aren’t in any rush), would be because the B1G would be a threat to the Florida market by adding FSU. But again… FSU doesn’t academically fit the B1G therefore B1G/FOX isn’t a threat, so why should the SEC rush to add FSU?

Now I’m not saying FSU to the Big 12, but that look-in provision has me thinking…

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In theory you are right. But, and this is the main thing to keep in mind, what if there was no SEC or BIG? What if there is just one BGC or something equivalent, where the top 30 to 40 brands join a single league/tier? Then UF, UGA, UT, Michigan, OSU, or whoever complains won’t matter.

If I am Iowa, Rutgers, Duke, TAMU, Miss State, IL, etc., that is what I would be concerned about.

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I don’t think FSU is trying to shoot their way out the ACC for a Big XII invite. If it’s the B1G or $EC, they know where their next stop is.

Clemson is $EC. UNC will jump to the B1G when forced.

Maybe Virginia to the B1G but I don’t know where the rest will go.

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4

None of us really now what will happen in the next 24 months- all speculation.

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If they get out the GOR it’s B1G regardless of the AAU B1G is on record saying school doesn’t need to be AAU. Besides after joining they’l eventually get AAU because the B1G will see to it that they do in time

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Where are they on record having declared such? Uh law wants to know.

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Former Commissioner Warren said as much in a press conference

“Warren said he was proud that USC and UCLA are AAU (Association of American University) members but also said being an AAU member is not a requirement for a potential future member.”

https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/big-ten-commissioner-kevin-warren-possible-expansion-college-football-playoff-more

Further corraboration in this article from McMurphy

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Do not use stories from 2 years ago…do you have any info from last 3 or 4 months they intend to further expand? BIG or SEC? There has been nothing out there except speculation about what someone MIGHT do…That is all media driven…

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If I had a guess, it would be that he said that in an attempt to court ND, who wasn’t AAU at the time.

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You ask for proof you got your proof. Don’t want to accept articles where the acting Big 10 commissioner said it wasn’t a prerequisite, I’m sure he wasn’t just spouting off he was doing so probably because he was well informed on the Big 10 Presidents and how they felt. Then you have McMurphy one of most plugged in reporters on realignment saying the same thing who probably got it from good source. Old doesn’t mean it still not relevant, the time line of 2 yrs it’s not that old. You believe whatever you want…If you want think elephants can fly, (because their ears look like wings) go head, you have that right to think so. You Ask for evidence, I gave it to in print for 2 sources. I guess we’ll never know the truth until happens or not. If he was applying that to ND as carrot, it could apply to others as well.

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It’s true that the B1G always SAID that, but that was mostly to keep a slot open for ND, which until recently was not AAU. Now that ND is AAU, it’s even less likely they’d take a non-AAU member. ND was the exception that proved the rule for a long time, and that exception no longer exists.

Not sure they’d make an exception for anybody else.

Maybe FSU’s brand will be big enough to justify one.

That said.

If you look at the publicly released list of schools that the B1G has supposedly “vetted” for membership (@1927 posted it) all at the time were AAU except ND and maybe one other, and today….ALL are AAU.

That’s NOT a mere coincidence.

It’s an unofficial, but very real screening criteria for B1G invites.

It’s just like the old PAC.

There was never an official rule that said that you had to be R1 to get an invite there, but guess what?

As a practical matter, that was ALWAYS the case, and again….that was no mere coincidence. And that’s why I LAUGHED when some TCU homer started up the BASELESS rumor that UH and TCU were being considered for PAC membership.

Had the rumor been, let’s say, UH and Tech, maybe. But given that TCU, an R2 school, was mentioned, it could be safely dismissed as nonsense.

This I did, of course.

Sadly, there were people on this board that took the rumor seriously.

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Now you hear that same nonsense on the Internet about TCU being a serious candidate for the B1G and sometimes on this board.

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TCU could not be more UN-B1G-like.

There’s no such thing as a small, R2, non-AAU church school in the B1G.

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Monte you also know that know that no one predicted mad cows u located in Austin going to the sec. 99.99% of the mad cows u located in Austin crowd considered the sec as a “manure” conference to be kind. All of the so called pundits expected them to either join the PAC 12 or big 10. The clear, crystal clear fact is we do not know what the next realignment will be. We do have some “smoke” of acc schools wanting to leave. Does that translate into fire? We should know in the coming months.

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Chris, its certainly true that Texas going to SEC was a culture shock because they basically ignored everything they claimed they were as a school i.n order to accept a bid… and if that can happen, anything can happen.
My feeling is SEC is done doing anything because when they got Texas/OU it achieved all their expansion goals. They are the strongest and that is just it…They dont need to expand to get 3-4 bids every year. As to BIG, they also got their targets in PAC and now sit at 18 and i think their membership is VERY uneasy about taking anyone else other than Notre Dame…Many of their members have already expressed serious reservations about travel to west coast to play these new conference members. All the ACC schools going to BIG is strictly being said from one source…the ACC schools themselves. Whiny and petulant because they are saddled with a long term TV deal that looks worse by the year…boo hoo…The only way i think any ACC school goes to BIG is if Notre Dame decides to go, and several ACC schools get bids to go with them. FSU and Clemson can sue all they want, but it isnt going to get either of them a bid to BIG or SEC…JMO

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Good points all around. It is quite interesting on how the cfp, big 10 and sec for that matter are trying to push Notre Dame into one of the two conferences. This is especially true for the big 10. The big 10 desperately needs Notre Dame. This is has been clear for years. Notre Dame has put together a schedule on their own and that does not please the big 10. What I find fascinating in these realignments is the fact that amazon, apple or others have not “dove in” trying to go after these power conferences media rights. amazon and apple clearly have the money so why not?

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Amazon and Apple have entirely different strategies, priorities and balance sheets vs. FOX and ESPN, which all has to be factored in before attempting to clobber sports.

Apple attempted to partner with the PAC and it was a failure.

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Were any of you guys ADs of a big athletic department, then you don’t know what you’re talking about!

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Yeah, that’s why they added those two creampuffs UT and OU. :roll_eyes:

20

Not the same