Jul. 23—Over the course of about 24 hours, the term “superconference” became a hot topic in college football.
According to a report by the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday, Big 12 originals Oklahoma and Texas have inquired about joining the Southeastern Conference — a move that would ultimately change the course of college sports as we know it. Adding two national powers to what is already, decisively, the most dominant conference in college football would make for a unique situation.
Both schools released statements about the report, but neither was a true denial.
“The college athletics landscape is shifting constantly,” an Oklahoma spokesperson said in a release. “We don’t address every anonymous rumor.”
“Speculation always swirls around collegiate athletics,” a Texas release stated. “We will not address rumors or speculation.”
It makes total sense for the two programs to want in. With an opportunity to jump into football’s most prolific league — its 14 members received a $45.5 million payout apiece in 2020 — who would say no? It would be a 12% revenue increase compared to what the Longhorns and Sooners received from the Big 12, in addition to lucrative television deals and other contracts.
It would make for a thrilling product, though.
A potential geographical realignment within the league could see Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC West, alongside Texas A&M, Missouri, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. That would move Alabama and Auburn to the SEC East with Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and South Carolina.
The change would reunite old Southwest Conference foes Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M, along with natural rivalries with former Big 12 member Missouri in the West division.
The East, then, would become one of the toughest divisions in the nation.
For college football fans, there’s nothing better. Saturdays would be full of SEC powerhouses beating up on each other, with perhaps the most entertaining league slate we’d ever see.
Within the conference itself, though? There’s not much excitement.
Texas A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork went on the offensive immediately.
“We want to be the only SEC team from the state of Texas,” he said. “There’s a reason why Texas A&M left the Big 12 — to be standalone, to have our own identity.”
The Aggies and Missouri both bolted the Big 12 to join the SEC in 2012, and the Tigers are expected to share Bjork’s mindset.
According to SEC bylaws, 11 of the 14 schools would need to agree in order to expand to 16 teams. Two have already spoken out, leaving any changes in severe doubt.
Based on Mark Stoops’s response to possibly expanding the league schedule from eight games, I’d expect Kentucky to join that camp as well.
“I wondered if people watched last year,” he said, referencing the conference-only slate teams had to play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The league, there was quite a few people that struggled, if anybody took notice of that. So that’s how I feel.”
Putting two more behemoths into the already-daunting SEC would only make things harder for the programs that really struggled. At the end of 2020, only five teams finished with a winning record.
UK, which went 5-6 a year ago, would suffer a major setback in its quest to become a contender within the SEC East. Since the league expanded in 1992, the Wildcats have never won a divisional title. Their last league crown came in 1976.
Stoops is hoping to change that soon, but having to go head-to-head with Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Georgia would make it drastically more difficult.
But, at the end of the day, money is king. The SEC may shut down talks of an expansion this time around, but with the way college football is evolving, a series of league realignments is surely coming once again.
If the “superconference” movement does start to make headway, expect to see the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 follow suit. Nobody wants to get left behind, so an expansion to 16 teams in each league would likely be on the horizon.
We may not be entering the era of the “superconference” just yet, but don’t be surprised if it comes sooner rather than later.