(05-08-2017 04:38 PM)JRsec Wrote: (05-08-2017 04:32 PM)YNot Wrote: (05-08-2017 01:47 PM)JRsec Wrote: Sankey also said that he would uphold Slive's declaration that they must also be cultural fits for the SEC. Other than that I would tend to agree except Texas should be on that list as well as Oklahoma although neither meet the criteria. OU is not AAU and Texas is from a contiguous state but one we already have.
I seriously doubt we will have expansion out of the ACC at this point. ESPN won't pay us for it.
I'm not from the South, so I can't pretend to know exactly what constitutes a 'cultural fit.' However, isn't there an argument that Kansas and Oklahoma would be cultural fits with Texas A&M and Missouri? From an academic culture, isn't Kansas a peer with Florida and Vanderbilt? From a sports culture, isn't Kansas similar to Kentucky? Oklahoma similar football culture to SEC schools that get 80K+ on a Saturday afternoon?
Is that enough?
It just depends upon what the SEC actually wants. Oklahoma is wanted for DFW, but Texas could give us that too. It's just that OU gives us another state to boot.
Kansas gives us less than 3 million eyeballs, averages only 24,000 at a home football game (53,000 below the SEC MEAN), but does give you an AAU school with great basketball. Basketball in the SEC accounts for 15% of our total gross revenue. With the addition of two more schools we move to around 47 million per year in TV payouts. Is Kansas basketball worth 47 million a year to the SEC? Especially at the expense of lost gate due to poor travel crowds from their football fans, and a bridge too far for ours to want to go see a lousy game?
I think the answer is fairly well decided, No! Will we say that? No! We will say they weren't a cultural fit. If they added enough to pay their way we would say they were a fit for the schools you named.
Kansas may not be a cultural fit, but they do fit in with Missouri/Texas A&M, etc.
SEC basketball would be worth more with Kansas in it, especially with Kansas/KY or Kansas/Missouri (after they figure themselves out), and Kansas-Florida.
I honestly think that while yes, the average attendance is not there, being in the SEC would help with that. SEC schools may not care about Kansas, but Kansas would care about SEC schools. Add a winning coach and that is a recipe for alot more fans.
SEC west fans will also appreciate having a team that can generally count on as a win. If Alabama/Auburn move East if we get OK/Kansas, that will be pretty important because west teams will still have to play OK/LSU/Ole Miss every year, plus their P5 OOC game. East will like it because it gets Auburn and Alabama to the East. TN will like that every East team plays Alabama every year, making their schedule more equal to the rest of the divisions.
Presidents will like AAU status.
I think Kansas is a win-win-win, while I admit that they may not be the best fit or bring enough to the table.
On a comparison basis, Kansas also has more population than West Virginia, the population of half of OK if both OK/OK State came in (I admit that might be a straw man, since Kansas will still compete with Kansas State, but the SEC effect certainly helped Texas A&M get viewers), and more population than the city of Dallas/Fort Worth if we take TCU (especially since we already have some viewership in that area, and if we get OK would get more).
So, if we can't swing Texas/OK, Kansas brings alot to the table. Our best bet might be to go to 15, but if we desire 16, Kansas might be the "best of the rest" option.
If the options are:
Kansas
TCU
OK State
West Virginia
I would take Kansas in a heartbeat. That obviously assumes we don't get Texas. And that doesn't consider Texas Tech, Baylor, Rice, SMU, Houston, Cincy, either.