Slive: "I could get to 16 in 15 minutes."

[thejumper5]

Today was SEC media day. There were some interesting comments, but this one probably stood out the most to me. Apparently Mike Slive believes there is an abundance of teams that would be willing to join the SEC at the drop of a hat. I know OU and A&M have been thrown out there as teams that would jump to the SEC, but I haven't heard specifics on other teams. Florida State, South Florida, or Miami maybe? Any of the North Carolina schools (if the SEC simply added the Tobacco Road 4, the conference would make huge strides on the basketball court and in the classroom)?

Or is Slive just dropping an arrogant sound-bite that isn't based in a fair perception of reality?

Alabama | MrSEC.com

[hawkeyescott]

I don't have any doubt he could, just like Delany could get to 16 in 15 minutes as well.

[okeefe4prez]

I don't have any doubt he could, just like Delany could get to 16 in 15 minutes as well.

Yeah, but the differnce is the SEC could do it with teams that have won hardware and the B10 would do it with second tier crap teams like Missourrah.

[OnLookin08]

Yeah, but the differnce is the SEC could do it with teams that have won hardware and the B10 would do it with second tier crap teams like Missourrah.

Doesn't hurt that the south has an abundance of teams in the SEC's wheel house that are elite or at least highly competetive programs. The Big Ten doesn't have a whole lot more to choose from outside of ND and a few schools if you reach real far to the east. I'd love to see ND and Pitt in the B10, but no sense going down that road again.

[H8IAST8]

Maybe our NC posters could step in, but i think the NC schools are happy being the heart of the ACC.

[thejumper5]

Maybe our NC posters could step in, but i think the NC schools are happy being the heart of the ACC.

This is what I've generally heard and thought, but I was thinking that maybe there is newer information out there.

[Hawkfromnorwalk]

Just when ISU fans thought they were safe it looks like the SEC and A&M are setting the dominos up again. I think most people agreed that after last year the whole expansion thing wasn't over but I didn't expect it to surface again in just a year. As long as you have teams out there that think the grass is greener on the other side you are going to have this problem.

[DwayneTwill]

How much would adding teams help the SEC, moneywise? I understand A&M would help get TV money in Texas, but i don't think they'd gain enough by adding three other teams to make up for the extra slices of the TV money pie that four more teams would take out.

[Hawkfromnorwalk]

How much would adding teams help the SEC, moneywise? I understand A&M would help get TV money in Texas, but i don't think they'd gain enough by adding three other teams to make up for the extra slices of the TV money pie that four more teams would take out.

At this point I think the action of being the first to 16 teams is worth more than the money. Kind of like the space race in the 60s. In this case though it's a tough spot to be in. No conference wants to be known as the finger that pushed the domino yet they would love the bragging rights to say they were the first to 16.

[DwayneTwill]

At this point I think the action of being the first to 16 teams is worth more than the money. Kind of like the space race in the 60s. In this case though it's a tough spot to be in. No conference wants to be known as the finger that pushed the domino yet they would love the bragging rights to say they were the first to 16.

BFD..

[thejumper5]

At this point I think the action of being the first to 16 teams is worth more than the money. Kind of like the space race in the 60s. In this case though it's a tough spot to be in. No conference wants to be known as the finger that pushed the domino yet they would love the bragging rights to say they were the first to 16.

The problem is that all these conferences saw the WAC miserably fail as a 16-team conference in the '90's. It was a very different era and a mid-major, but that will linger in the back of the mind of any commissioner that thinks of expanding. It would be a high risk move. Unlike 12-team conferences, which can clearly work, a 16-team conference has never worked before. Just as everyone wants to be the guy that succeeds first, no one wants to be the guy that leads to the destruction of the SEC or Big 10.

[MultipleDundieAwardWinner]

Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami, and Florida St. would murder their mothers to get out of that feeble basketball conference and into the SEC.

[Hawkfromnorwalk]

The problem is that all these conferences saw the WAC miserably fail as a 16-team conference in the '90's. It was a very different era and a mid-major, but that will linger in the back of the mind of any commissioner that thinks of expanding. It would be a high risk move. Unlike 12-team conferences, which can clearly work, a 16-team conference has never worked before. Just as everyone wants to be the guy that succeeds first, no one wants to be the guy that leads to the destruction of the SEC or Big 10.

It's all about bargaining power. 16 BCS AQ teams has a lot more pull than 16 mid level teams the WAC had. The SEC already has the satisfaction of holding the last 5 BCS titles, they would love nothing more to add more teams and become the most dominant conference in the league.

[DwayneTwill]

It's all about bargaining power. 16 BCS AQ teams has a lot more pull than 16 mid level teams the WAC had. The SEC already has the satisfaction of holding the last 5 BCS titles, they would love nothing more to add more teams and become the most dominant conference in the league.

Doesn't matter. If the schools aren't going to make more money, it won't happen.

[Hawkfromnorwalk]

Doesn't matter. If the schools aren't going to make more money, it won't happen.

If they have to split the current pot then I agree, it's pointless and the existing teams would take a smaller share. However if the SEC grows they would probably renegotiate their TV contracts to get a bigger slice of the pie, or they would follow the B1G blueprint and start an SEC network.