SEC raid of the ACC?

[nsbcfan]

I am not convinced that the SEC could successfully raid the ACC.

Let me explain.

Since the ACC signed their new TV deal, it is my understanding that the payout per team in the ACC is somewhere around 3-4 million dollars less than the payouts to SEC teams. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the per team payouts are expected to be about $20-22 million in the SEC and $16-18 million in the ACC. So the SEC teams are collecting more money from TV, but not MUCH more.

Have a look at this link:

http://www.mrsec.com/2010/06/the-academ ... omparison/

According to this, the ACC has the lowest admittance percentage of any BCS conference. The SEC has the second highest admittance percentage (after the Big 12 officially folds).

The ACC has the highest average ACT score of any BCS conference. The SEC has the lowest. The ACC has more than double average endowment per student than does the SEC and the ACC average university ranks 49th on US News & World Report. The average SEC university ranks 91st.

The ACC is the far superior academic conference. I do think that has something to do with all of this conference reshuffling. Any ACC team that would move to the SEC, is essentially moving from the strongest academic BCS conference to the weakest. That might not sit well with the presidents and boards of trustees at places like Georgia Tech and MIami.

I also am not sure what the SEC would gain from adding teams already inside their geographic footprint. They would essentially be expanding solely to get 16 teams and not to add any new TV markets etc. It seems like the SEC would simply be dividing the same size pie among more mouths.

I am not saying that the SEC would not be successful in poaching a few ACC teams if they try to do so. I could see Clemson or Florida St and their rabid football fan bases being excited about a move to the SEC. I also think that places like Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Miami, UNC, Duke and Virginia would be very hesitant to associate themselves with the weakest academic conference in the BCS. I also think universities like Duke, UNC, UVA etc have so much invested in their ACC memberships that it would be next to impossibel for another conference to poach them.

I think that the SEC may be very happy with their own 12 team arrangement and their existing TV contracts. I am not sure how excited they would be to add ACC teams that are already in their geographic footprint. I am also not sure how excited some ACC universities would be to leave the best academic conference in the BCS to join the weakest. All of this would be for a 3-4 million dollar increase in TV revenue?

I am not saying that the SEC won't try to raid the ACC. I am not even saying that a potential raid would not be successful. I am just saying I do not think it is a slam dunk that the SEC could have their pick of any ACC teams they want.

[Buttercup]

Agreed. GT and Miami wouldn't go if invited. FSU and Clemson might, but I don't think Florida and South Carolina would necessarily be down with that. Some people have speculated on VTech... but after what UVA and the Virginia government had to do to get them in the ACC, there would be hell to pay if they left UVA behind.

[Bryn Mawr Eagle]

I agree - SEC expansion (unless it is to the west and involves Texas) seems to make little sense.