(05-11-2013 03:14 AM)Zombiewoof Wrote:  

(05-11-2013 02:59 AM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(05-10-2013 10:14 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(05-10-2013 09:38 PM)He1nousOne Wrote:  If ECU is to be had and you want 16 teams for four team groupings whether they be pods or divisions then it depends upon what you would want from your divisions. A division in the northern portion of the footprint? Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and? That is why WVU would fit in so well. They would help strengthen that division in football where as any other additions and Missouri might have to be placed in that division.

SMU in the West to go with the two powerhouses of LSU and A&M as well as the strong program of Arkansas? A team they regularly beat and playing in Dallas every other year that way?

Personally He1nous I don't think we will take anyone if the Big 12 isn't involved. I just don't see the SEC taking any team that is not clearly one of the top two of their state. In other words if they can't deliver the whole state's market they aren't getting in. O.S.U. and W.V.U., K.S.U. and W.V.U., O.U. and W.V.U. all fit that bill, as does Texas and W.V.U. but I don't see that one happening. In the end I doubt seriously that the SEC would take S.M.U., Houston, T.C.U., or Baylor (although Baylor might be the only one of those who could pull it off). I also don't see us taking South Florida or East Carolina. I just wouldn't refer to ECU as a bitter pill. They do come from a new state and they average almost 55,000 per game in attendance and that's more than you can say for T.C.U., Houston, S.M.U., and South Florida (although the Bulls have good attendance).

It would be bitter from the POV of schools like UGA and UF who want to try and improve the academic reputation of the SEC. Its one of the reasons I think Mizzou was picked over WVU. The Tigers AAU status coupled with the potential TV sets for the SEC Network were simply too good to pass up.

I think you are right vandiver. There would likely be enough opposition to ECU to keep them out despite their popular support. IMHO, ECU falls so low in the pecking order that they are really not a legitimate candidate. For ECU to get an invitation, the SEC would have to strongly want to get into North Carolina and UNC, NCSU and Duke would have to decline. Additionally, the SEC would have to want to get into the North Carolina market more than adding "more attractive" candidates in Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, West Virginia and maybe even Pennsylvania.

Yep. From a pure fan-base, football side of things I think ECU would grow rapidly and end up fitting well. That was the point behind my "thinking outside the box" comment. I agree that academics seems to be an SEC initiative right now. I think the five SEC AAU schools will now start working together, as the B1G does now, to better organize the conference in order to obtain grants, etc. A&M and Missouri gave them two more AAU schools, and you are correct...lots of TVs. We may never see another SEC invite that does not involve superior academics. Hopefully, the other schools see this trend and will make efforts to upgrade academic status. That said, I am not knocking anyone, as universities all bring great specialties to the table, and I have stated that many times to my B1G friends...