A Jersey Guy: Does CFB Need More Expansion?
The natural reaction is to expect more, a new and hopefully final expansion push in college football.
But here's the major point to ponder as we await the details of Oklahoma and Texas bolting the Big 12 for the SEC.
1. Do the other conferences need to play follow the leader with the SEC, which would begin the era of the "super conferences"?
Quite frankly, No.
The available inventory is not that great.
Other than Notre Dame there isn't any "available'' team which would brink fair market value.
Let's start with the Pac-12.
There is no reason the Pac-12 should look east to get bigger.
I still remember when my friend, the late, great Chris Dufresne and I were in Boise, doing a story on the success of then rising star Boise State.
We listened as then Boise coach Dan Hawkins talked about potential overtures from the "power'' conferences.
""Bigger is not necessarily better,'' said Hawkins. ""Better is better.''
The Pac-12 needs to get better with what it has before getting bigger.
The same could be said of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 10, each of whom now appear to be a half step behind the always trend setting SEC.
The ACC has 14 teams, a super star in Clemson, a rising star in North Carolina, in roads with Notre Dame and a bunch of teams which could be Top 20 material.
No need to mess with it beyond possibly adding Notre Dame as a 15th member and then for balance adding one more school--West Virginia?
The Big Ten is in a similar position.
It mishandled an opportunity to get Texas, and doesn't really need to make another run at Notre Dame.
Again, beyond ND, there is no worth chasing which would be worth paying an enormous exit fee
Stil, l relatively l new commissioner Mike Warren needs to prove he can guide the teams he has before the Big Ten gets any bigger.
Conclusion: Status quo is not all that bad.
Which leaves the Big 12.
That is a league which will now shrink to 8 teams with NO marquee entry.
Melding with the ever aggressive American Athletic Conference is a possibility, but who drives the bus?
A war for control could be brewing between the AAC and the Big 12.
Don't be surprised if the Big 12 flexes the remaining muscles it has and makes an attempt to expand to 12 by going after UCF, USF, Cincinnati and Memphis from the AAC.
And again, there are some nice programs, but not one potential new match up would be regarded as a "must see' event by most college football fans.
Without Texas and Oklahoma, the Big 12 has no star power. Going into Florida and increasing to 12 schools would help.
The bottom line here is that maybe the SEC will be what the SEC has been or more than a decade: the best show in college football, with occasional interlopers from the other conferences playing starring roles.