JMUDUKE Wrote:

pirate65 Wrote:

DawgNBama Wrote:

99Tiger Wrote:Just speaking about future conference expansions in general, here are the things that I see as realistically generating further changes:



Now here's my question to the board:  If a BCS conference we to start looking at a few southern teams; we'll say Memphis, USM, Tulane, or UAB; would the SEC look harder at expansion to keep out further competition?

As for USM,UAB, and Tulane the answer is no. The SEC would gladly let the Big East and/or the Big 12 take those teams. As much as I like Southern Miss, (and I really do like the Golden Eagles), both of the SEC Mississippi teams would complain that Southern Miss cuts into their revenue and recruiting and therefore makes them (Ole Miss and Miss. State) not as viable to the league as they once were. Ditto for UAB. As for Tulane, the argument is this: Tulane used to be a member of the SEC. Tulane voluntarily chose to withdraw from the SEC. Why should Tulane be let back into the SEC when the SEC has already covered their market to start with, and Tulane having a history of leaving the SEC before. One thing I've learned about the SEC through a lot of research: the SEC does not take kindly to former members who chose to leave the conference. Georgia Tech, even if they wanted back in the SEC desperately, would not be given an invitation. It would the same with Sewannee (University of the South) and Tulane. If Vanderbilt ever dropped out of the conference, Vanderbilt can forget about ever being in the SEC again and they know it!!!
Now about Memphis: the SEC does cover the Memphis market. However, in Memphis' favor, the SEC is in need of good basketball teams and Memphis would be a good pickup in that area. The SEC would have to conduct a very long and involved study on Memphis and whether or not Memphis would have a positive or negative impact on the conference overall. Although I am very positive UT and Arkansas would be against Memphis' admission, I'm not so sure about the rest of the SEC. Very tough call. The reason I was looking at ECU favorably was because at least East Carolina would bring in a new market(s) to the SEC. However, I am not sure as to whether or not the potential revenue East Carolina would bring in would justify expansion of the league.

a very high offical of the SEC is a close friend of ECU. a second highly ranked SEC offical has direct ties to ECU......both of these officals understand that the ACC left a huge undervalued and overlooked market wide open(3+million in Tidewater Va,the largest market in the USA with no D1 football, or major league sports franchise) ECU is the closest D1 football program to that giant market. these officals understand that the ACC has support in tidewater,however that support is soft, a mile wide and a inch deep. the closest ACC school is 200+miles away. these SEC officals understand that a SEC afiliate so close to this huge market would change everything......the large media in tidewater would quickly adopt the SEC afiliate on there doorstep.there is talk that the big conferences could all go to 14 or 16 and split from the NCAA and reform the CFA (see BigEastbbs ) this could all happen within 10 years

Where are you getting 3 million from?

Va Beach: 350K
Norfolk: 250K
Chesapeake: 250K
Newport News: 200K
Hampton: 175K
Portsmouth: 175K
W-burg/Poquoson/York Co.: 100K
Other Southside counties: 250K

So that's not even close to 2 million, much less your 3+ million statement. BTW, I really have no idea the size of the southside counties, but I would guarantee it would be less that the 250K figure I presented, if even half that. I just don't feel like looking them up, so I gave you an enormously high number.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics 2000 figures, population of NORFOLK-VA BEACH alone is, 1,574,204, the entire Tidewater VA- eastern NC area is close to 4+ million. by 2010 the area could be 6+million. this is just to big a market for the SEC to overlook. the fact is the market will be cherry picked by the SEC, within 10 years, its afiliate will be, ECU. the market is just to big and would bring millions to the SEC. the SEC has key officals in place who have direct ties to ECU who have taken note of this. ECU, and its close by large, overlooked and cronicly undervalued ,Tidewater VA and NC market , will be a bold move for the SEC that will pay member schools millions, and excite the area for SEC football. tens of thousands of the unifiliated,plus tens of thousands of SEC fans all over tidewater VA and NC will make the short drive to ECU to see a SEC football game.