Arkansas goes to the Big 12, so we get to pick up another school. Enter Clemson. I’ve said since I was a freshman in college that Clemson is more of an SEC school than an ACC school. They are the Land Grant University of South Carolina, have SEC ties, and make a better fit than many of the current schools. That would be a very smooth transition for everyone. We could move UT to the West, where they have natural rivalries with Alabama and Auburn anyway. Clemson would fall into an SEC East schedule, and with games against UGA, UF, USC and Vandy every year would make for some very good matchups.
Great minds think alike . . . but, whether you agree or disagree, you can vote in the poll!
about 2 years ago
T Kyle King
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I wholly
disagree…we have enough teams with orange in them..GT would be the best fit. Drop Arky, move Vandy to the West and put GT in the East.
Vandy and UK being in the East makes it to easy on you guys…
"The goal is to be a champion," Saban said. "I didn’t say to win a championship. I just said be a champion. That’s our goal here. That’s what we want to do."- Nick Saban
I’m seeing a lot of this talk amongst the SEC West folks implying that the East is a much easier path to get through than the West because of the presence of Kentucky and Vandy…
When exactly did this come about? Other than this past season, I’m pretty sure the East has either been just as difficult or even slightly more difficult than the West to traverse.
Arky, Ole Miss, and Miss St. have all had their fair share of absolutely crap seasons in the past several years. If we’re speaking historically, I can see how most would assume that Arky & Ole Miss have the superior programs to Vandy and Kentucky (it’s not even a debate, really)… but in 2000s, it’s been pretty much a wash.
by get swoll yunel on Dec 17, 2009 7:03 PM EST up reply actions
huh?
UK and Vandy have a long history of sucking..Its just been the last 3 seasons that UK has actually become competitive.
MSU has been terrible for quite a while now, so ill give you that. BUT Mullen has them on the right track and i believe they will be very competitive soon. Ole Miss is the USC of the west. They will win some they shouldn’t and lose more then they should.
But no one in this conference compares to Vandy. One bowl game in how many???
So if one division is easier than the other, its got to be the East.
"The goal is to be a champion," Saban said. "I didn’t say to win a championship. I just said be a champion. That’s our goal here. That’s what we want to do."- Nick Saban
The East is weaker at the bottom . . .
. . . but, until very recently, the East has been stronger at the top. Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee have been consistently good for the last couple of decades. Alabama, Auburn, and LSU all have had deeper downcycles during that same period.
Right now, “the big three” in the West are stronger than “the big three” in the East, and one could argue (though I would not) that the West now boasts a “big four.” There was a time in the not too distant past, though, that we were into November before even one team had been mathematically eliminated in the West. That attests to your point that Vanderbilt is uniquely historically bad, but it also affirms the fact that, for a long time, every team in the West was closer to being average than any team in the East. For a good long while there, our poor were poorer, but our rich were richer.
Go 'Dawgs!
From the historical perspective ...
Clemson comes closer to fitting the bill than South Carolina does, since it’s closer to being “west of the Appalachians” (the old description used when the conference was formed by departing Southern Conference members) than is USC.
I still think FSU makes the most sense
Arkansas to the Big XII works pretty well too.
Fight on, fight on, fight on men! Remember the Rose Bowl, we’ll win then.
Just a thought
Why not bring in Miami? I’m sure it would be a boon for the SEC and would also solidify the position of the SEC being the strongest conference. I know they are a little far south, but does that really matter? There are several good arguments for other teams (Tech and Clemson) but what does anyone think of Miami?
Honestly?
I think Miami is a spent volcano. Their rise was due to a combination of factors (athletic independence, private-school status, the ability of schools to give out larger numbers of scholarships, and lax NCAA enforcement prior to the point at which college football threatened to get completely out of control) which mostly no longer apply, so a resurgence is unlikely. To the extent that the ‘Canes have become respectable again, it is due chiefly to the weakness of the conferences (Big East and ACC) in which they have competed. Make Miami play an eight-game SEC schedule in the 21st century and they’re squarely in the middle of the pack. They’re not Kentucky, but they’re not much more than Ole Miss. I’d be less interested in the Hurricanes than in the Seminoles or the Yellow Jackets, and I’m not particularly interested in either of those two teams, either.
Go 'Dawgs!
Yes, honestly.
With Miami in the SEC their recruiting would be bolstered, making them relevant again. I agree that “The U” rose to prominence during a time when NCAA “regulation” was only a term thrown around, unless you played at SMU, but I think they could be a viable asset to the conference.
It’s only an initial thought so feel free to show me the error of my thoughts. I hated Arkansas coming in when they did. Would rather have Furman or The Citadel than Arkansas.
My bad if I sounded condescending
I question Miami’s ability to sustain itself through the SEC grind. Given their location, their history, and their image, the Hurricanes are able to attract talent, but, as an expensive private school, they have a smaller margin for error in the limited-scholarship era because they cannot rely on having walk-ons who develop into scholarship players.
Having advocated admitting Clemson, I can’t very well oppose Miami on ethical grounds, although at least Sports Illustrated never did a cover story supporting the disbanding of the Tiger program. I’m not sure it’s in the SEC’s interests to make the Gators the second-most thuggish Sunshine State-based school in the league, though.
Go 'Dawgs!
No problem!
I didn’t mean you sounded condescending. Just watched the ESPN special on The U earlier and thought it might be a good fit. I understand your arguments however. And you make a good point.
I miss Clemson on the schedule, so I would like to see them get an invite. I also am not old enough to remember GT in the SEC but I do remember going to UGA / GT JV games, so that might be fun too.
Now random thoughts:
FSU, well, I’m not too sure about them. At one time they made sense, but without Papa Bowden, and even with him in recent years, I’m not sure FSU has the relevance necessary to join. I don’t see Louisville as “Southeastern” enough. Memphis isn’t relevant enough either, but at least they are Southeastern. The N. Carolina teams would never leave the goldmine that is ACC basketball. How about UAB? USF might make some sense, I know that was mentioned earlier. Any other options?
Two schools worth calling...You never know if you don't ask....
Virginia Tech bolted a conference once, they bring football tradition and fan following, and further marginalize the ACC.
NC State might consider a chance to poke sticks in the eyes of the blue-bloods in Chapel Hill and Durham. There is no doubt they would be upgrading in football…and they might actually have a shot at a conference basketball championship someday.
We don't want Miami simply because...
have you seen their attendance throughout their history? The only fans that actually travel are a few hundred Alumni and the rest are local bandwagons who pay whatever cheap prices a scalper asks at (name school here). The Orange Bowl and now (Place this week’s stadium name) have been routinely empty for ever. Yes, sell outs for the FSU games and a few Oklahoma match ups in the 80’s, but the rest have been 3/4 empty. We have a proud tradition of selling tickets in the SEC, we don’t need to water down that pride. No “U”!
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