Per Dennis Dodd's twitter:
@dennisdoddcbs: SEC No. 14 down to Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Missouri. May not happen until '13.
Obviously UNC has gained a lot of street cred with the SEC because of Butch Davis.
The SEC's chances of getting UNC or Maryland is slightly better than its chances of getting Ohio State or Notre Dame.
So he's saying it's down to Mizzou.
Has Dennis Dodd ever been right?
I beginning to question my assumption that Virginia Tech is going to say no. If they are willing to consider it, I think they move to the top of this list (other than North Carolina, but I still think hell would freeze over before they'd say yes).
Edit: I mean of those 4 schools. I think West Virginia is still a possibility for an east-west balance, but that would require some to say no.
I'm hearing too many media folks in Birmingham with very close ties to the SEC office continually stating the SEC will not invite teams from other conferences. I do not want to read too much into this tweet but if Dodd sources are telling him this it could mean:
1. An SEC rep has disclose the SEC would be interested in these programs.
2. These programs has express interest in the SEC
3. A combination of 1 & 2
4. Assumptions on Dodd's part
he is saying it's his opinion
If it reaches the point where Dodd (or for that matter, any of these "insider" talking head tweets) I think it is safe to say these are names that are at least being thrown around. I think these guys (the SEC, the Big 12, the Big East, and all the individual schools) throw out scenarios/ trial baloons to see what gains traction behind the scenes. But it is important to remember that throwing out scenarios is easy; reaching the threshold where it actually goes down is quite another. Heck, IMO we barely reached the threshold where the A&M to the SEC thing went down. There were so many places that could have fallen apart.
The image-obsessed UNC president just went over the AD's head and fired Butch Davis with no evidence that he knew about what John Blake was doing.
The AD resigned. To my knowledge, UNC has not hired a full-time AD or football coach, and are working with interim people.
Which means the President is de facto in control of the athletic department.
Do you seriously think that President wants to leave the ACC and join what he probably regards as the cesspool in the SEC?
Further, UNC views UVa and Duke as its peers in the conference. Do you seriously think UNC would leave the ACC without at least UVa or Duke (if not NC State) coming along with them?
UNC is in no position to have a serious discussion about changing leagues. They need to get their house in order first. Even then, it's a huge longshot unless UVa or Duke gets a companion bid.
(08-29-2011 09:59 AM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote: [ -> ]I'm hearing too many media folks in Birmingham with very close ties to the SEC office continually stating the SEC will not invite teams from other conferences.
That proviso could be satisfied by the school in question "withdrawing" from its current league (B12, ACC, whatever) at 1:00 and then being formally "invited" at 2:00 the same day. At the point of invitation, the school is no longer "from" the "other conference."
If there's any truth to what's being said publicly by the SEC regarding aTm membership, please remember something very important:
Whoever the SEC invites is somebody that has made contact with them, not vice versa.
I find it almost impossible to believe that the president of UNC has, under the current set of circumstances at his school, contacted any other athletic conference about membership. UNC is, therefore, all but eliminated as the 14th member.
That Dennis Dodd places them in the Top 4 shows just how undependable his list really is.
IMO VT has always been the best possible candidate for SEC #14. I have also believed that if UVA didn't raise too much of a stink about it that they would go. Hell freezes over before UNC leaves the ACC. As long as the ACC exists as a conference UNC will be in it.
(08-29-2011 10:45 AM)SmallVoice Wrote: [ -> ]If there's any truth to what's being said publicly by the SEC
That may be the biggest "If" of our lifetime.
Lying comes as naturally to those people as eating, sleeping, breathing to the rest of us. It's just what they do.
(08-29-2011 10:43 AM)Native Georgian Wrote: [ -> ] (08-29-2011 09:59 AM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote: [ -> ]I'm hearing too many media folks in Birmingham with very close ties to the SEC office continually stating the SEC will not invite teams from other conferences.
That proviso could be satisfied by the school in question "withdrawing" from its current league (B12, ACC, whatever) at 1:00 and then being formally "invited" at 2:00 the same day. At the point of invitation, the school is no longer "from" the "other conference."
It may be a matter of wording, but no school is going to seperate from their conference unless they know another conference will accept them. The SEC didn't invite A&M, the Aggies have to apply for membership. But we know behind close doors the SEC wants A&M and will approve their application for membership.
To make a comparison, the BE openly pursued and eventually invited TCU. The SEC did not do this with A&M.
I agree while A&M is the one who has to officially approach the SEC, I don't think the SEC would have a problem quietly talking to the leaders of schools and putting out feelers.
BamaScorpio69 Wrote: [ -> ]It may be a matter of wording, but no school is going to seperate from their conference unless they know another conference will accept them. The SEC didn't invite A&M, the Aggies have to apply for membership. But we know behind close doors the SEC wants A&M and will approve their application for membership.
+1. I was just trying to show how the SEC could get around the alleged statements made by some of its people that it was not going after schools from other conferences. I mean,
Of Course the SEC is going after schools in other conferences!
(08-29-2011 11:02 AM)ohio1317 Wrote: [ -> ]I agree while A&M is the one who has to officially approach the SEC, I don't think the SEC would have a problem quietly talking to the leaders of schools and putting out feelers.
Of course they wouldn't have a problem with putting out feelers.
Life long NC resident here; there is NO WAY Carolina leaves the ACC. Therefore, Dodd's opinion is just that, an opinion, and not a very sound one.
(08-29-2011 11:10 AM)Native Georgian Wrote: [ -> ]I mean, Of Course the SEC is going after schools in other conferences!
And I don't think the SEC will go after other schools. Intertested programs will come to the SEC.