SEC Expansion, Power Rankings and Between the Hedges

College football is quite possibly on the verge of cataclysmic shifts in the coming months. The conference realignment conversation is running rampant every single day and centers around one institution in Texas. The big elephant in the room is Texas A&M, and it is the lynchpin on conference realignment discussions on message boards and sports talk radio. The Aggies were almost members of the SEC conference last year during the purging of the Big 12 conference.

If you go back to 2010, Nebraska bolted to the Big 10 and Colorado landed in the Pac-12. The defections of those two universities, primarily Nebraska, eroded confidence in the stability of the Big 12 conference. As the future of the conference hung in the balance, four other schools (Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State), toyed with the idea of shifting to the Pac-10, which would have formed the first 16-team mega conference. Texas A&M has always had one eye on the SEC with the other eye constantly focused on big brother, University of Texas. UT rescued the Big 12 when the Longhorns declined an invitation to join the Pac-12 and thus keep intact the Big 12 (minus Nebraska & Colorado).

Well that marriage is abruptly ending, and soon, if not by the time this blog posts! UT and it’s little nine are teetering on the brink of extinction. After the Longhorns partnered with ESPN to launch the Longhorn Network this September, its little brother, Texas A&M, said enough is enough. It’s only a matter of time before the Aggies are officially welcomed as the 13th member of the Southeastern Conference. There are last-second shenanigans by a certain school in Texas (Baylor U.) and Iowa (Iowa State) that have reneged on the September 2nd vote to allow Texas A&M to leave without legal penalty. The SEC is absolutely solvent about accepting Texas A&M unanimously, as well as leaving no chance for legal ramifications against the SEC should Texas A&M choose to join the Southeastern Conference.

Why Texas A&M? Well how about several million $$$ Benjamins from multiple top ten television markets in the state of Texas. The SEC has always wanted a footprint in the Lone Star state. Let’s get one thing straight about conference realignment – there are two dynamics that drive this topic: Money and college football. How do conferences increase revenue through realignment? Television sets! Currently, the SEC has one top 10 media market, Atlanta. When Texas A&M is aboard, the Aggies will bring two top ten markets, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. With a new team and multiple TV markets, the SEC will seek a new television contracts (cha-ching) and a bigger payout per team annually. Currently, every SEC team gets paid $18 million per year no matter its athletic performance. Numbers are fluid, but I have seen projections as high as $34 million to as low as $25 million per team payout when Texas A&M joins the league and conference officials renegotiate the current television contracts. Even though the acceptance of A&M into the SEC has to make cents (remember realignment is all about the Bejamins), the SEC will only expand if its brand reaches new markets. So what makes Texas a no-brainer when it comes to expansion? Texas is a fertile recruiting ground, like Florida, California and Georgia. High School football is king in Texas, and the fervor for football matches the intensity and passion found across the Sunbelt states located in the Southeastern Conference. It’s a perfect marriage and a merger that was attempted in 1992, 2010 and now 2011. IMHO, the third time is the charm, and we as Gamecock fans can look forward to trips to College Station and the tradition of the 12th man. Here is to SEC expansion and trips Texas! Texas A&M’s transition to the Southeastern Conference will lead to the disintegration of the Big 12, old rivalries will go by the wayside (TA&M/UT) and 16-team mega conferences will be the future. If you are a member of the SEC, Big 10 and Pac-12 you should consider your school safe when poaching season begins. Universities in the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Mountain West and WAC should be placed on alert!

SEC Power Rankings:

My power rankings are based on the previous week’s performance.
1. LSU-defeated #5 Oregon soundly on a neutral field, enough said!
2. Alabama-won going away in home opener; travel to happy valley (Penn State) this Saturday
3. Mississippi State-explosive offense; first test Saturday on the Plains (Auburn)
4. South Carolina-overcame four turnovers & 17-pt deficit with 42 second-half points
5. Arkansas-without RB Davis, the offense sure seems explosive with 51 points in opener
6. Florida-Was that Brantley at quarterback? So far the Muschamp/Weis marriage is intact
7. Tennessee-Young Vols blow out traditional FCS power Montana
8. Auburn-Saturday’s win equals a cross state trek to Birmingham Bowl in late December…fun!!
9. Vanderbilt-Hung 45 points on Elon plus the last three teams on the list barely registered an offensive pulse in Week One
10. Georgia-did UGA replace the best traditional uniforms in college football for Project Runway gone badly!
11. Ole Miss-the Rebels still haven’t recovered from the bludgeoning at Williams-Brice back in 2009
12. Kentucky-October madness can’t come soon enough for Big Blue fans! Shame on you UK…WKU almost caused the SEC to blackball the ‘Cats!

There is a big SEC Eastern Division showdown this weekend in Athens. I listen to ESPN College Football Live podcasts almost daily on my iPod. Today, I heard Beano Cook say he picked UGA as a darkhorse national champion prior to the Boise State game. Talk about egg on your face!! Why is Georgia so overhyped this year? Well Boise State smacked UGA around on the line of scrimmage, and I expect USC to do the same. UGA is not a physical team. Carolina matches up well personnel wise to the Bulldogs. Talk out of UGA this week is that starting Nose Guard & SC native, Kwame Geathers, has a shoulder stinger and has sat out practice all week. That leaves UGA with one true nose guard (JUCO transfer John Jenkins) in the middle of the 3-4 defense. If you watched the Boise State game, Jenkins didn’t exactly impress! With the middle linebacker position already down a starter, the middle of that defense could be susceptible to zone read or draw plays. UGA will sellout to stop Lattimore, so Garcia is going to have be accurate in the passing game to make UGA pay for stacking eight men at the line of scrimmage. If Garcia can hit some deep balls early, that will soften the defense at the line of scrimmage and then force UGA to play one less man against the rush attack. Look for more receivers to catch than in Game One and anticipate a more expanded playbook. Carolina was very vanilla versus ECU.

On offense one o-line starter is out (Gates) and being replaced by a redshirt freshman. HC Mark Richt has been very edgy all week according to reports and very displeased with UGA’s pass protection. Remember Boise State sacked Murray six times. USC’s d-line is more talented and more athletic than BSU. I expect QB Murray to be harassed all game and to be on his back quite often. If UGA cannot sustain a running game on Saturday then the game could get lopsided in USC’s favor. Georgia does not have balance on offense and lacks a physical offensive line that opens running lanes for its running backs. USC must make Georgia one-dimensional. UGA must avoid 3rd & long situations or Aaron Murray will feel the wrath of Clowney, Taylor and Ingram! TE Orson Charles is the favorite target of QB Murray, so I expect a “spy” on #7.

I’ll have my game predictions on Friday afternoon.