It was inevitable. As soon as headlines popped up this week about the reported flirtation between Texas, Oklahoma and the SEC, the wild imaginations of college football fans were set in motion to run absolutely wild with hypothetical conference realignment scenarios. What would happen if the SEC officially adds the Longhorns and Sooners, which appears as close to happening as it’s ever been? What would the Big Ten do? Will the ACC make any moves?
That last question appears to be a trendy one among many Penn State circles, and you just had to know some Penn State fans were going to ponder the question. Could conference realignment changes to the landscape give Penn State an opportunity to leave the Big Ten and join the ACC?
Let’s just stop it right there, because there is about as much a chance Penn State leaves the Big Ten for the ACC as there is Angola will win a gold medal in men’s basketball at the Olympics. But that won’t stop some from having the discussion.
After all, there once was a time when the ACC was close to bringing Penn State into the conference before the Nittany Lions ended up being invited and accepted by the Big Ten. And the ACC is home to many opponents Penn State has a long history with (Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Boston College) and others that would just be plain old fun to see on the schedule (Miami, Florida State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech) on a regular basis. Penn State would be a terrific addition to the ACC should the ACC ever decide to expand its own membership and the Nittany Lions were in fact interested in switching conference banners.
But why would Penn State be looking to do that now?
As with all conference membership decisions, the bottom line is absolutely going to be the bottom line. Despite an upward trend in ACC revenue distribution figures and a likely upwards projection with possible expansion for the ACC, the Big Ten money is impossible to turn away voluntarily.