Forget Clemson, OU would bring more excitement and money.

In fact, the first thing CBS would tell the SEC would be:
"We have the South Carolina TV market already !" (and Florida, and Georgia)
"Look west to Texas and Oklahoma !"

This story about the SEC could be fact, or it could be a rumor with no validity.
However, If the SEC were wanting to be in position to expand on short notice, they would want to approach CBS BEFORE-HAND to have in place a deal of how much additional money the new schools would add to the TV contract.
The SEC would have no leverage to ask for their current contract to be increased, if they added 2-4 schools, and THEN went to talk to CBS.
So it stands to reason that Mike Slive MIGHT be having such discussions.

The SEC would have contingency plans if it felt necessary to expand due to how many and whom the Big10 selects in its expansion. Informal, semi-formal, discussions happen, particularly when any major conference is exploring options. That noted, the SEC would certainly try to measure the interest of Texas, Texas A&M, OU, and perhaps OSU if combos are in order.
To the east, if expansion is required and those western schools are not available, FSU, Clemson, and GT from the ACC would certainly be prime ones to examine. Another one, rarely spoken about, is NC State. If multiple schools left the ACC unexpectedly for the SEC, part of the interest could be an effort in gaining a quality foothold in North Carolina.
Much of this is conjecture and speculation gone wild. The ACC does not appear to be a conference open to mass defections. For this to happen, upheaval would have to be profound across the country and all remaining major conferences committed to mega-expansions. My expectation is that changes will be big, but not to the level the ACC will be gutted of most of its prime southern schools. If 2 to 3 Big 12 schools leave for the B10 and/or PAC10, then the SEC's chances of expanding westward, by two or so, could become more significant.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why the SEC would want to expand.

If the SEC got Texas A&M and Oklahoma,it would increase their tv market.

But they're already locked into a lucrative TV contract for the next 14 years.

Tuscaloosa News article with comments from SEC school officials including the Florida President who confirms that the SEC will be discussing expansion at tomorrow's meeting.Link at http://www.tidesports.com/article/20100 ... -in-Destin

Indeed, they are. The interesting point of all this, a work-around perhaps, is that they are open to the idea of Texas A&M having it's own TV network. Yeah, I know, pretty cool since it seemed only Texas could pull it off.

The other key point now (as opposed to a few months ago) is that the SEC TV partners realize that it's in their best interest to help build the SEC brand. It's no good to them to say "no more money if you expand" if by expanding, the SEC can remain a better product than say, the Pac-10. There were talks of the Big Ten expanding to 16 and it wouldn't have been enough to justify the SEC doing the same. But if the Pac-10 were to take 6 schools from the Big 12, and 4 of them could MAKE the SEC money, well that's different. The Big Ten expansion was mostly targeted to the Northeast and the midwest...not the south. But the Pac-10 expansion goals are to head to Texas. So now we have 2 conference, B10 and P10 talking 16. NOW, the SEC is on alert to keep pace.

i still think the best bet for the SEC is to add Tex, A&M, Oklahoma and OSU. It stops the Pac-10 by setting up a border all the way in New Mexico, and stops the Big Ten in Missouri and Nebraska.

_________________


@ncaasports csi.com/facebook


Like the new CSI Userbar? Feel free to use it here and any other forums.
You can save and host it yourself or link from here.

Quinn are you saying by inviting those 3 to the SEC Texas has to come along or they'll just let them go and join Colorado in the Pac 10? Also what about Texas Tech either way. P10 I could see under this version taking TT and Utah w/ CU and UT. But it doesn't work for the SEC if ig A&M/UT/OU/OSU went no TT. Do the politicians allow that?

_________________

WRANGLERS 153-55-1 CVFL CHAMPS '04 '05 '09 '12

NFL CHAMPS '29 '30 '31 '36 '39 '44 '61 '62 '65 '66 '67 '96 '10

BW/WAC/MWC CHAMPS '77 '82 '85 '88 '89 '91 '92 '93 '99 '12
['08 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPS]

My Texas cousins went to Texas A&M; one went to Rice. My sister went to professional schools (graduate) at Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. Maybe on a national scale the sports media and pundits see Texas A&M as a junior tag-along school to Texas; but in east Texas and much of central Texas, many don't perceive it that way and it goes well beyond alumni of A&M.
Texas A&M independently speaking to the SEC and perhaps willing to be in a separate BCS conference from Texas is not an extreme concept. It could even help the A&M image losing the projection of pseudo-dependency. The Texas legislature can focus on protecting "Techs'" interests. A&M is quality enough to get picked on its own merits.

FSU-FLA, GT-GA, SC-Clemson, Louisville-Kentucky, etc.' in-state, separate conference rivalries exist; and sometimes it goes beyond whose "state" king, but carrying respective conference banners as well. The major draw-back, it keeps from adding yet another "patsy" game to the schedule.

Slive's indicated that the SEC contract has clauses which can trigger re-negotiation if the conference changes membership.

_________________
1897-1898 | 1900-06 | 1926-27 | 1929-30 | 1939 | 1942

It's an advantage if they gain big markets...it's a problem if they lose markets and gain smaller ones. Question would be what markets would they need to add to get a boost.

_________________


@ncaasports csi.com/facebook


Like the new CSI Userbar? Feel free to use it here and any other forums.
You can save and host it yourself or link from here.

They can renegotiate if both parties are willing even without such a clause. However, CBS & ESPN/ABC aren't obligated to give them another penny. Without some kind of blockbuster addition, they're not likely to since they've already paid a premium for this contract, which was negotiated at the top of the market before the economy tanked.

We do have to remember that assimilation is not immediate. It takes two to three years to fully incorporate new members. So, in some cases, the conference may be focused on future contracts rather than expecting the current one to be extensively altered.

Would the SEC take TTech, A&M, OU and OSU? That way Texas is happy because they can goto the Big 10 and the other 4 would be happy to goto the SEC. The bigger question is would CBS/ESPN give the SEC a boost to their contracts to allow it to happen?

I'm sure the SEC would love to have Texas but maybe this is a good enough compromise?