Tag: Expansion

How a 30-team SEC would resemble college football’s past

How a 30-team SEC would resemble college football’s past.

The Southern Conference was formed in 1921.

Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Washington & Lee were founding Southern Conference members.

Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tulane and Vanderbilt joined the Southern Conference in 1922.

Other current Power Five schools that joined the Southern Conference were Duke (1928), Wake Forest (1936) and West Virginia (1950).

In 1932, 13 schools of the Southern Conference, located west and south of the Appalachian Mountains, departed to form the Southeastern Conference.

Southern Conference schools Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Sewanee, Tennessee, Tulane, and Vanderbilt departed and became the founding institutions of the newly formed SEC.

Separation to form the new SEC conference was in part of having more of a focus on better athletic administration with fewer teams from the 23 schools of the Southern Conference. The Southern Conference also planned on increasing eligibility requirements.

How the SEC was formed by leaving a 23-team super conference

Jackie Sherrill discusses predicting super conferences in 1989, how expansion will continue

Following UCLA and USC leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten, Vols Wire looks at current Power Five schools that could join the SEC to resemble the Southern Conference of the past.

Below are schools that could form a 30-team SEC in a super conference. The 30-team SEC would be a combination of former Southern Conference members, current SEC schools, future SEC teams in Oklahoma and Texas, and teams that are ideal additions.

College Football Playoffs to remain at four teams per release

No playoff expansion as the committee sticks with four teams.

Whether you like it or not, the College Football Playoffs will not expand prior to the end of the contract according to a release from the committee.

There have been countless discussions about moving to an eight or even 12-team playoff recently. However, that seemed like a long shot from the jump. Not all of the Power Five commissioners seemed to be on the same page when it comes to the number of teams and who would earn automatic bids.

Over the history of the CFP that began in the 2014 season, the SEC has dominated. They have won the title in five of the playoffs. The SEC also has won the most playoff games (14) and the most appearances (10). They are also the only conference to have two teams make the final four, both times the teams met in the CFP Championship game.

“The Board of Managers has accepted a recommendation from the Management Committee to continue the current four-team playoff for the next four years, as called for in the CFP’s original 12-year plan. At the same time, the Board expects the Management Committee to continue its discussions of a new format that would go into effect for the 2026-27 season.

“Even though the outcome did not lead to a recommendation for an early expansion before the end of the current 12-year contract, the discussions have been helpful and informative. I am sure they will serve as a useful guide for the Board of Managers and for the Management Committee as we determine what the Playoff will look like beginning in the 2026-2027 season.”

The conversation will now be put on the backburner for the time being. This seems like a win for the SEC and Greg Sankey. Why expand when it has worked well for the conference? At least that is the perception for keeping it the way it is.

Breaking: College Football Playoff expansion may not pass vote

Will the 12-team expansion actually happen?

In a report from CBS Sports Dennis Dodd, it seems like the proposed 12-team College Football Playoff proposal might be come true after all. There are many factors that are holding this decision up and according to Dodd “prominent individuals within integral CFP committees have concerns about the process as well as whether the proposed structure is the right move for their conferences and teams.”

This is on the heels of the SEC’s expansion, adding Texas and Oklahoma, in the future, along with the Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC’s alliance. The vote to be held later this month, which has to be unanimous, looks like it might not happen.

Personally, I did always believe that expansion was inevitable, especially with 5 power conferences and just four spots available for teams. Eight to me was alway a logical number and it seems like there is some potential for that scenario. Dodd claims that “two high-profile sources involved in the process tell CBS Sports they support expansion at a number smaller than the proposed 12 teams, perhaps as few as eight.”

Will expansion happen? Most likely it will, but the format is still clearly up in the air. It does seem like this would be a positive for Notre Dame, as the previous proposal excluded them from being able to host a playoff game in the first round.

Either way, we are still in the early stages of a CFP expansion, and the plans could fluctuate until they’re unanimously voted on.

The Pac-12 Conference has decided against expansion for now

In a statement, the Pac-12 has decided against adding more schools at this time.

So much for all that speculation on which schools the Pac-12 Conference was going to go for in expansion.

In a statement released this afternoon, the conference says that expansion isn’t in its best interests at this time and that for now, 12 schools are just enough for what the conference wants to accomplish in the future.

Following consultation with our Presidents, Chancellors and Athletic Directors, the Pac-12 Conference has made the decision to not pursue expansion of our membership at this time. This decision was made following extensive internal discussion and analysis, and is based on the current competitive strength and cohesiveness of our 12 universities. It is also grounded in our confidence in our ability as a conference to best support our student-athletes and to grow and thrive both academically and athletically.

With Oklahoma and Texas jumping ship to the SEC and the possible demise of the Big XII, many out there, including us at DucksWire, were speculating on whether the Pac-12 will pick up two or maybe four teams from that league.

But with the conference’s recent formation of The Alliance with the ACC and the Big 10, it seems as if expansion just doesn’t make a lot of sense right now.

The case for expansion was to get the conference visibility in markets, such as Dallas/Fort Worth or Houston, but a scheduling partnership with those two other leagues can do the same job as adding Texas Tech and/or Houston for example.

SEC rumors: Did Clemson & Florida State inquire about joining conference?

The SEC may look to make room for two more!

The upcoming 2021 college football season could be the last time the SEC has only 14 teams. Recently, Oklahoma and Texas announced they will be leaving the Big 12 and requesting admission to the SEC. They were granted admission, and are now taking their former conference to court to try and leave as soon as possible-at the latest, the two programs would join after the 2025 season.

With OU and UT, the SEC stands at 16 total programs. Which sounds like a lot, until you hear that there could be two more to join the mix.

ESPN radio personality Marc Ryan cites his own sources in a tweet that claims Clemson and Florida State, two high-profile ACC programs, have reached out to the SEC.

Nothing official has been released from anyone involved, but with the way the 2021 college football offseason has been, nothing can be ruled out as a possibility.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow news and reports regarding further expansion of the SEC.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.

Report: Big Ten may not have a place for Iowa State or Kansas

Iowa State and Kansas seemingly fit into the Big Ten well but have been shot down. While the talks did not seem serious, there was at least an attempt.

The only set in stone about the latest round of college football realignment is Texas and Oklahoma‘s move to the SEC. Nobody else is quite sure where the other eight Big 12 schools are going to land, if anywhere. It is entirely possible the conference attempts to invite other members.

Iowa State and Kansas were attempting to get ahead of the rest by reportedly reaching out to the Big Ten. While neither school may be the most marketable on the football field, the Cyclones are an up-and-coming program under Matt Campbell, while the Jayhawks can sell basketball.

Both seemingly fit into the Big Ten’s culture well but have reportedly been shot down by the conference.

According to Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman, Iowa State and Kansas “made a run at the Big Ten” but his source was not sure if they would get any place. While none of the talks seemed serious enough for the Big 12 to shrink to six schools, there was at least an attempt.

This puts Iowa State and Kansas in interesting situations. Option A seems to be hope and pray the Big 12 can figure it out. Add in a couple of new members who bring football value to the conference and TV contracts are re-upped by ESPN/Fox.

Option B is to see what happens with the Pac-12. Nobody is quite sure what the west coast conference is going to do. Could going further east than Colorado be of interest to new commissioner George Kliavkoff?

It seems as if the eight universities and Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby have just over a year to figure everything out. The expectation is for Texas and Oklahoma to be in the SEC by next season, paying a massive buyout.

Consider the Big 12 on life support.

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Social Reactions: Best tweets in response to report that Oklahoma is looking at the SEC

Social media reactions to report of Oklahoma looking to jump to the SEC.

The college football landscape was absolutley rocked right down to it’s core on Wednesday. Reports surfaced that the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns were looking to join the Southeastern Conference. They would once again play former Big 12 foes Texas A&M and Missouri.

Since the publication of that story, multiple reports have followed. According to 247Sports’ Brandon Marcello, both schools have been looking to leave the conference for some time.

Whispers of Oklahoma and Texas kicking the tires and discussing a departure from the Big 12 have been occurring for the last few months, the source said.

John Talty of Al.com has echoed the report from Marcello as well.

Then we have the current athletic director of Texas A&M, Ross Bjork. ESPN recently published his comments in regards to Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC Conference as they did less than a decade ago. His comments seemed very insecure about their in-state rivals joining.

A lot more will come to light in the coming days but at this point in the process, it seems like no one can discuss anything else. Almost fitting that the news broke just moments before Aggies’ head coach Jimbo Fisher was set to take the podium at SEC Media Day.

Sooners Wire has collected some of the top Twitter reactions to the report:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Social Reactions: Best tweets in response to report that Oklahoma is looking at the SEC

Social media reactions to report of Oklahoma looking to jump to the SEC.

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The college football landscape was absolutley rocked right down to it’s core on Wednesday. Reports surfaced that the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns were looking to join the Southeastern Conference. They would once again play former Big 12 foes Texas A&M and Missouri.

Since the publication of that story, multiple reports have followed. According to 247Sports’ Brandon Marcello, both schools have been looking to leave the conference for some time.

Whispers of Oklahoma and Texas kicking the tires and discussing a departure from the Big 12 have been occurring for the last few months, the source said.

John Talty of Al.com has echoed the report from Marcello as well.

Then we have the current athletic director of Texas A&M, Ross Bjork. ESPN recently published his comments in regards to Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC Conference as they did less than a decade ago. His comments seemed very insecure about their in-state rivals joining.

A lot more will come to light in the coming days but at this point in the process, it seems like no one can discuss anything else. Almost fitting that the news broke just moments before Aggies’ head coach Jimbo Fisher was set to take the podium at SEC Media Day.

Sooners Wire has collected some of the top Twitter reactions to the report:

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Texas and Oklahoma reach out to join the SEC, does this affect Notre Dame?

Would this matter for the Irish?

The Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday that Big 12 powers Texas and Oklahoma have approached the SEC about joining the conference. This move would cause huge ramifications across the college football world, and for Notre Dame, it will present an interesting scenario.

The Irish are coming off their first season with a conference affiliation, winning the ACC regular-season title. Even though they lost a rematch to Clemson in the league championship, the resume was enough for them to gain a berth in the College Football Playoff for the second time in three seasons.

The move angered many die-hard Irish fans, but with many schools canceling out-of-conference games, there really wasn’t an option for Notre Dame.

What the 2020 season did was quiet many of the doubters who said the Irish would struggle with a conference league schedule.

The news today could have some legs; SEC’s Commissioner Greg Sankey declined to comment on the situation.

If Texas and Oklahoma were to join the southern power conference, would this matter to Notre Dame? It certainly would, especially with the CFP’s expansion to 12-teams looming in the future. The question is how much would it matter?

The depth the SEC would have if the Big 12 powers joined would be almost unmatched across the college football landscape. The conference could have multiple teams in the CFP after the expansion, which would make the number of available spots diminish.

It might not matter at all, as an Irish team that would have double-digit wins would almost certainly be inside the top-12 and grab a spot. It still bothers me a bit that Notre Dame is essentially a No. 5 seed at best, due to the proposed expansion’s rule requiring the top four teams have a conference title.

At the end of the day, the potential move for Texas and Oklahoma really doesn’t do anything to affect Notre Dame’s status. The rivals can go to the SEC, all the Irish have to do is focus on themselves and impress the committee enough to get a top-12 seed while staying independent.

North Carolina players against proposed College Football Playoff expansion

UNC might be in the minority on this take

When the College Football Playoff committee decided that expansion from four teams to twelve was in it’s best interest, the praise was pretty much universal. The fact that eight other teams would be able to participate means that more teams will have a chance to crown themselves champions.

Well, in Chapel Hill, it seems like all of the North Carolina players aren’t on-board like the rest of us are. They are in favor of the expansion, but not at the proposed format, they would like to see less teams involved. Their argument surrounds the fact that the amount of teams doesn’t still give each team a realistic shot at winning a championship.

While their argument is valid, it really doesn’t hold much water. There have been just as many close, “instant classic” games as there have been blowouts. The first edition in the 2014 season saw the semifinal contest between Ohio State and Alabama as the most competitive game of the three.

The next year, both semifinal games were blowouts but the title game was the main attraction. The point is that even some of the teams that make the final-4 aren’t always real title contenders.

The NCAA is trying to replicate March Madness’ excitement, and why wouldn’t they. Underdogs upsetting top teams is something we all love to see and why not the same with the College Football Playoffs. Yes, the field would be a bit watered down with 12 teams, but it would be much more exciting in general.

I’ve long wanted an expanded CFP field and it looks to be on the horizon. I really could care less how many teams, I just want to see more football with every team going all out. The UNC players might be right, not every team that is in the CFP will have a real shot at the title, but it’ll still be a fun to watch either way.