The SEC just got a lot stronger as of midnight on July 1st as Texas and Oklahoma entered the league, making the toughest league in the country even tougher. While no team will openly admit that they will never be able to compete in the SEC behind closed doors, one has to wonder if these conversations are taking place.
Yes, the money in the SEC can never be replicated in the Big 12/ACC (the only two conferences realistically most SEC teams may even consider going to), but at the end of the day, finishing 3-9 every year and making $85 million may be worse than going 8-4 and making $45 million in a different conference.
The reality is, in today’s world of NIL and the transfer portal, there are teams that quite honestly may be lucky to make it to a bowl game more than two or three times a decade in this new-look SEC. Before, a lowly team may luck out getting three cupcake games in the non-conference, playing two lower-tiered SEC schools, and then needing just a single upset to get to a bowl game.
Those days are over.
Here are three teams that should seriously consider leaving the Southerneastern Conference and joining another conference.
1. Arkansas to the Big 12
Arkansas running back Isaiah Augustave (23) carries the ball, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, during the third quarter of the Razorbacks’ 44-20 win over Florida International at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today’s photo gallery..(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
The Arkansas Razorbacks are in a tough spot. The state doesn’t produce a ton of high school talent, and half the talent it does produce comes from the Little Rock area, nearly three hours away from Fayetteville, which sits in the Northwest corner of the state. Arkansas has hit about 50-60% of the D1 in-state talent in the last few years and has relied heavily on recruiting in Texas and Oklahoma.
In Oklahoma, they at least were able to tell recruits of “playing in the SEC.” That is no longer an argument, as OU can now say the same thing. So where will Arkansas get its elite recruits, or at least recruits who can compete with Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and LSU? That is not going to happen.
Secondly, the way the SEC is likely to schedule will rely on geography for many games, which means fewer trips out to play Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Kentucky, three of the bottom six teams in winning the last decade (along with Arkansas, Miss State, and Missouri).
The Big 12 makes a ton of sense. Arkansas can recruit at their level, and geographically, they fit perfectly. Arkansas is also a basketball school, and last time I checked, the Big 12 was by far the best basketball conference in the country.
2. Mississippi State to the Big 12
Nov 23, 2023; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; A Mississippi State Bulldogs helmet sits on the sidelines during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Mississippi State fans will hate even to have this thought, but Ole Miss is the better team, and that likely isn’t ever going to change, at least consistently. There is more money in NIL boosters at Ole Miss, so why fight it? Additionally, like Arkansas, Miss State is geographically in a terrible spot. Their most likely opponents every year include Ole Miss, Auburn, LSU, Vanderbilt, and Georgia—chalk four of those five as losses most years.
There is a great talent pool in Louisiana and Mississippi where they recruit, and again, if they joined the Big 12, their recruiting would probably improve. Imagine going to a recruit and telling them the following:
“You can go to Ole Miss/LSU and probably finish fifth or sixth in the SEC, miss the playoff, play in a bowl game nobody cares about, or come play for Miss State and compete for Big 12 Championships, which is an automatic Playoff spot.”
Sure, that may not sway all recruits, but it is a much better selling point than “We may finish 6-6 and finish 9th in the SEC.”
3. Texas A&M to the ACC or Big 10, Or Anywhere Other Than SEC
Sep 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies offensive lineman Layden Robinson (64) and running back Le’Veon Moss (8) In action during the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Arkansas Razorbacks at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
This one will never happen because Texas A&M is too proud even to consider it, but if they take a step back and are level-headed, they will realize that they are not Texas. Now, with them in the same conference, they will likely start seeing their win/loss record get even worse.
Even without Texas in the league, A&M hasn’t been able to rise to the top even with great recruiting classes, a ‘winning coach’, and no SEC competition in the richest recruiting state in the nation. Now with Texas in the league, does anyone actually think they are going to rise to the level of the top SEC teams on a consistent basis?
Now if A&M were to go to the Big 10, they’d not only be the only team in the conference from Texas, they’d also open up recruiting into Big 10 country. With Michigan, Ohio State and other Big 10 teams fighting over the same Big 10 country recruits, Texas A&M would have Texas and the entire south all to themselves. They wouldn’t be the favorites in the Big 10, but they’d be in a better spot than they are in the SEC.
If they went to the ACC/Big12 they would immediately go from 6th-8th in the SEC to top 2nd-3rd in those conferences. If we talking about getting the Playoff, this would be a wise move by the Aggies.
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What do you think? It the money worth it for every team, or at some point is it better to win and play for championships?
🚨 WOW: A College Football Radio Host has reported that the Big Ten is looking to STEAL Texas A&M from the SEC…
The Big Ten leadership is reportedly looking to expand once again, but not out West this time. Now, they’re trying to get into TEXAS 👀
Greg Swaim, an… pic.twitter.com/q85Uac8OAl
— Blue Bloods Bias (@bluebloodsbias) February 26, 2024
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Publish date : 2024-07-01 17:01:03
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