I realize Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and even Kentucky aren't always considered southern states, but who will be the first school to join the SEC that is truly outside the south? Would the Big Ten expanding into the southeast possibly drive the SEC to look northward or westward?

(08-29-2025 06:53 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  I realize Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and even Kentucky aren't always considered southern states, but who will be the first school to join the SEC that is truly outside the south? Would the Big Ten expanding into the southeast possibly drive the SEC to look northward or westward?

Northward? No. First not considered Southern, possibly Kansas.

(08-29-2025 06:53 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  I realize Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and even Kentucky aren't always considered southern states, but who will be the first school to join the SEC that is truly outside the south? Would the Big Ten expanding into the southeast possibly drive the SEC to look northward or westward?

Colorado.

Kansas. That would be a strategic addition even if the SEC can keep BIG out of south

ASU would be my second vote. IMO a better fit than Colorado, although neither are good fits. Something about the Rocky Mountains being in the SEC makes CU corrupt the brand for me, despite CU being contiguous and shared history with the Big 12 division. My brain can see last year’s UT-ASU playoff game as having a SEC vs SEC taste

Stanford. If adding out of area, I could see merit going with the premier academic brand, one that transcends its location

ND. If pushed to a conference by ESPN, which espn could arrange, perhaps ND picks the premier football brand

(08-29-2025 06:53 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  I realize Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and even Kentucky aren't always considered southern states, but who will be the first school to join the SEC that is truly outside the south? Would the Big Ten expanding into the southeast possibly drive the SEC to look northward or westward?

The question could have been posed as which would be the first school from a state that sided with the Union in the Civil War. In that case, Kansas is the obvious first choice. They are more or less equally north compared to Missouri, but Missouri, while officially remaining in the Union, was more supportive of the Confederacy, and launched frequent guerrilla style raids into Kansas.

(09-08-2025 09:52 AM)ken d Wrote:  

(08-29-2025 06:53 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  I realize Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and even Kentucky aren't always considered southern states, but who will be the first school to join the SEC that is truly outside the south? Would the Big Ten expanding into the southeast possibly drive the SEC to look northward or westward?

The question could have been posed as which would be the first school from a state that sided with the Union in the Civil War. In that case, Kansas is the obvious first choice. They are more or less equally north compared to Missouri, but Missouri, while officially remaining in the Union, was more supportive of the Confederacy, and launched frequent guerrilla style raids into Kansas.

Missouri entered the Union as a slave state.
The Missouri compromise allowed Missouri's entry as a slave state as long as another state (Maine) was allowed to enter the Union as a free state (1820).
The Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854 basically overrode the compromise in that it allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether they wanted to be slave or free territories.

The Act is primarily responsible for "Bleeding Kansas" an outbreak of violence between pro and anti slave groups. Outside agitators like John Brown traveled to the territories and promoted violence against the sides they opposed.
Congress' action set the country on a path to seperation and violence.

Kentucky may not be considered a “southern state” but Louisville has been considered the “Gateway to the South” for well over 100 years.

Here’s a picture of the “Gateway to the South” sign that stood on top of the LG&E building. The building was demolished when the KFC Yum Center was built.

https://loutoday.6amcity.com/city/10-nic...isville-ky

(08-30-2025 12:21 PM)Big 12 fan too Wrote:  Kansas. That would be a strategic addition even if the SEC can keep BIG out of south

ASU would be my second vote. IMO a better fit than Colorado, although neither are good fits. Something about the Rocky Mountains being in the SEC makes CU corrupt the brand for me, despite CU being contiguous and shared history with the Big 12 division. My brain can see last year’s UT-ASU playoff game as having a SEC vs SEC taste

I like these ideas, Kansas makes tons of sense and an Arizona school does feel much more SEC than the Rocky Mountains do. There was a Confederate Arizona Territory after all!

the nasti. a qausi southern town peopled with the riff raff from the west virginny/tucky hills. you get an ohio presence, a football team with historical plus hoops. we win at a high level wherever we go, have sick jerseys. we'll say yes. do it to stick it to big state

(10-12-2025 11:23 PM)Lush Wrote:  the nasti. a qausi southern town peopled with the riff raff from the west virginny/tucky hills. you get an ohio presence, a football team with historical plus hoops. we win at a high level wherever we go, have sick jerseys. we'll say yes. do it to stick it to big state

Agree with Cincy. They were hot the year they made the Playoff out of the AAC, cooled once they joined the B12 but are now 5-1. Definitely a great choice in Big Ten territory.

(10-13-2025 05:11 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(10-12-2025 11:23 PM)Lush Wrote:  the nasti. a qausi southern town peopled with the riff raff from the west virginny/tucky hills. you get an ohio presence, a football team with historical plus hoops. we win at a high level wherever we go, have sick jerseys. we'll say yes. do it to stick it to big state

Agree with Cincy. They were hot the year they made the Playoff out of the AAC, cooled once they joined the B12 but are now 5-1. Definitely a great choice in Big Ten territory.

tnx. people don't usually agree with me, esp big 10 fan. the difference with a team like the bearcats is that what we've done we've done without the influx of p4 money for the past lot of decades. more with less. our progression has been slow but steady while we've built a program that can sustain success amidst coaching or a.d blunders while being fully committed to throwing buttloads of money into not only athletics but throwing it everywhere accept for quality faculty probably. tearing apart the facade of yesterday expanding the footprint to who knows where. whatever it takes.

it's never been a place you reluctantly admitted you were an alumnus but it is a place i probably wouldn't be admitted to today which maybe would have allowed me to consider the trades but i wasn't that kinda kid. i went there for the basketball tickets. i was somewhere between smart and dumb

i have no idea if it would work and not sure how quick i'll get used to praying for bowl eligibility, but college football is wacky. thar's no dominant teams today. anyone can get beat by anyone more or less. cincinnati to the sec

another point. it's a driveable game. columbia, knoxville, lexington, nashville, i dunno, fayetteville...who else is in the sec?

(10-13-2025 11:05 PM)Lush Wrote:  another point. it's a driveable game. columbia, knoxville, lexington, nashville, i dunno, fayetteville...who else is in the sec?

Check our website.

Ohio State, Michigan…or both

There will not be an "non-southern" expansion. The premium brands in the SEC will leave for a mega-conference before they agree to dilute the conference with another expansion.

It really depends on your definition of "Southern" which varies. For example, the USPS includes Delaware in their Southern Region. I have a tiered approach which includes states as a whole. My true map would look different, but I won't do things like cut Florida in half.

Southern by Tier
I - Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee
II - Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina
III - Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas
IV - Missouri, Oklahoma

It all depends on who wins when the P2 raids the ACC. The SEC wins if it gets UNC, UVa, Duke, Clemson and FSU. If that happens, then maybe the SEC stays Southern and adds VT, NCSU and GT. That gets it to 24. Bringing in VT and NCSU silences state politians over separating the systems from each other. They are also the most Southern schools in those states. Which helps deliver the last two Southern states not in the SEC. That brings tons of cable subscriptions and tons of streaming subscriptions. That move blocks the BIG from a move into the South by grabing most of the schools the BIG would want (BIG would want UNC, UVa, Duke, GT and daU). In this scenario, the SEC doesn't need any Northern or Western school.
If the BIG wins the ACC raid, which is less likely but could still happen. It will get UNC, UVa, Duke and maybe GT & daU. That splits out VT and NCSU from their sister schools. Which will be a problem IF the SEC still doesn't take them. If my math is correct, this leaves the BIG at 23, so it invites Kansas to get to 24. KU brings basketball with a national following and provides Nebraska with the traditional rival it has been missing since joining the BIG. But it leaves KSt outside looking in.
So here it is. The SEC still expands by taking all the remaining Southern schools worth having. Than means VT, NCSU, Clemson and FSU. That gets the SEC to 20. Where it could stay. Or it could continue to expand by taking OkSt, KSt, ASU and UA. That would make those three B12 schools the firsthand only "non Southern" schools to get invited to the SEC.

(11-09-2025 04:53 AM)mikeinsec127 Wrote:  It all depends on who wins when the P2 raids the ACC. The SEC wins if it gets UNC, UVa, Duke, Clemson and FSU. If that happens, then maybe the SEC stays Southern and adds VT, NCSU and GT. That gets it to 24. Bringing in VT and NCSU silences state politians over separating the systems from each other. They are also the most Southern schools in those states. Which helps deliver the last two Southern states not in the SEC. That brings tons of cable subscriptions and tons of streaming subscriptions. That move blocks the BIG from a move into the South by grabing most of the schools the BIG would want (BIG would want UNC, UVa, Duke, GT and daU). In this scenario, the SEC doesn't need any Northern or Western school.
If the BIG wins the ACC raid, which is less likely but could still happen. It will get UNC, UVa, Duke and maybe GT & daU. That splits out VT and NCSU from their sister schools. Which will be a problem IF the SEC still doesn't take them. If my math is correct, this leaves the BIG at 23, so it invites Kansas to get to 24. KU brings basketball with a national following and provides Nebraska with the traditional rival it has been missing since joining the BIG. But it leaves KSt outside looking in.
So here it is. The SEC still expands by taking all the remaining Southern schools worth having. Than means VT, NCSU, Clemson and FSU. That gets the SEC to 20. Where it could stay. Or it could continue to expand by taking OkSt, KSt, ASU and UA. That would make those three B12 schools the firsthand only "non Southern" schools to get invited to the SEC.

There is little economic gain to the SEC regarding cable subscriptions by adding North Carolina and Virginia.
The dominant cable provider (Spectrum) has been broadcasting the SEC network for years, and has recently added the B1G network (as well as multiple streaming options) in an attempt to keep subscribers.

(11-10-2025 05:30 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(11-09-2025 04:53 AM)mikeinsec127 Wrote:  It all depends on who wins when the P2 raids the ACC. The SEC wins if it gets UNC, UVa, Duke, Clemson and FSU. If that happens, then maybe the SEC stays Southern and adds VT, NCSU and GT. That gets it to 24. Bringing in VT and NCSU silences state politians over separating the systems from each other. They are also the most Southern schools in those states. Which helps deliver the last two Southern states not in the SEC. That brings tons of cable subscriptions and tons of streaming subscriptions. That move blocks the BIG from a move into the South by grabing most of the schools the BIG would want (BIG would want UNC, UVa, Duke, GT and daU). In this scenario, the SEC doesn't need any Northern or Western school.
If the BIG wins the ACC raid, which is less likely but could still happen. It will get UNC, UVa, Duke and maybe GT & daU. That splits out VT and NCSU from their sister schools. Which will be a problem IF the SEC still doesn't take them. If my math is correct, this leaves the BIG at 23, so it invites Kansas to get to 24. KU brings basketball with a national following and provides Nebraska with the traditional rival it has been missing since joining the BIG. But it leaves KSt outside looking in.
So here it is. The SEC still expands by taking all the remaining Southern schools worth having. Than means VT, NCSU, Clemson and FSU. That gets the SEC to 20. Where it could stay. Or it could continue to expand by taking OkSt, KSt, ASU and UA. That would make those three B12 schools the firsthand only "non Southern" schools to get invited to the SEC.

There is little economic gain to the SEC regarding cable subscriptions by adding North Carolina and Virginia.
The dominant cable provider (Spectrum) has been broadcasting the SEC network for years, and has recently added the B1G network (as well as multiple streaming options) in an attempt to keep subscribers.

It's all manner of deliveries now, Disney bundle, Hulu bundle, cable subs regardless of company, etc. If they weren't paying off the ACCN and SECN would be dropped and T3 rights would cease to exist. Advertising likes well targeted audiences. Conference networks provide that while reaching a plethora of state markets. They also love general broadcast approaches to marketing that reach the nation. T1 is premium, and T2 more bargain when it comes to breadth of reach.

I really don't see a non-Southern target at 18 or 20. At 24 I could see Kansas for either the SEC or Big Ten.

Who's interested in who from the ACC? My guesses...

B1G
Probably: Duke, Florida St, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame*, Virginia
Possibly: California, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
No: Boston College, Louisville, North Carolina St, SMU, Wake Forest

SEC
Probably: Clemson, Florida St, North Carolina, Notre Dame*, Virginia
Possibly: Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina St, Virginia Tech
No: Boston College, California, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Wake Forest

* As a full member