It has been a wild week for college sports after word came out that the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins intended to jump ship from the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten. The aftershocks of the announcement reverberated throughout the remainder of the schools across the nation putting perennial contenders like the Southeastern Conference on notice.
In response, the media rushed to takes on how the SEC might respond to the earth-shaking news, with wild suggestions coming from every angle but nothing that actually stuck. As it turns out, the conference brass never intended to make a countermove — or at least, that is the official word.
According to Matt Hayes of Saturday Down South, who first broke the news, the conference that has been home to the Florida Gators and many of its sister schools since 1933 has no intention of expanding past 16 members after the induction of the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners in 2025.
“We’re positioned at 16 (teams) for a robust future,” an unnamed SEC athletic director told SDS. They also added that “the need just isn’t there… I don’t see any (expansion) move as threatening to us.”
CBS Sports’ Dennis Dobbs was able to confirm the report.
CBS Sports able to confirm but tremendous reporting by @MattHayesCFB who broke the story. Huge realignment implications. https://t.co/zou9r5iYNA
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) July 11, 2022
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