Long Winded

LONG WINDED By: Jason H. Long

London Amburn

NEW AND IMPROVED SEC

Let’s start with a little history lesson. The Southeastern Conference was established right here in Knoxville, Tennessee on December 8 and 9, 1932. The founding member institutions were Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech (hard to believe, wait it gets better) Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Tulane (I know, right? Tulane was in the SEC, but wait), the University of the South (Sewanee!!!! Sewanee was an SEC school – for the record, they used to be a powerhouse), and Vanderbilt (are you kidding me?? Someone let Vanderbilt in the SEC? Who would have imagined?). These schools broke away from the old Southern Conference and banded together to form what has arguably become the dominant force in collegiate sports today (at least with respect to football, I don’t believe there is any argument left). Over the years, some schools dropped out (Georgia Tech, Sewanee, and Tulane), while the conference has expanded to welcome new members: South Carolina and Arkansas (1990); Texas A & M and Missouri (2012). The last of these expansions truly tested the definition of “southeastern” but they brought in a lot of revenue and fans, so we said “what the heck, Missouri isn’t that far north!”

Over the years, the SEC has been a driving force in college athletics across the board, claiming championships in sports as varied as basketball (men’s and women’s), baseball, track and field, golf and even boxing (LSU had a heck of a team in 1949). However, as we all know, it has been on the gridiron that the conference has won its reputation. As much as I hate to say it, Alabama is, historically, the best team in all of college football. It claims the most national championships (16), unless you count the 18 that Yale claims (from 1874-1894 the Bulldogs were dominant during a time when no one else knew how to play the game). Bama has racked up conference and national championships across multiple decades and claims two of the greatest coaches in history: Paul “Bear” Bryant and Nick Saban (ugh, did I really just write that last sentence?). But the dominance of the conference does not end there. Our beloved Vols once had a pretty good resume themselves, although it is fading over time. Florida, LSU, Georgia, and Auburn can all claim to be among the college football bluebloods. In any given year, a standard SEC schedule almost assures that you will play three or four top ten teams during the season.

No other conference really comes close. The Big 10 looks to Michigan and Ohio State to carry their football banner. Sure, those are great teams, but is there anyone else in the conference who can claim to be in league with even the middle of the road SEC teams? The ACC has Clemson, but even Vanderbilt could finish in the upper half of that conference. Occasionally, Oregon and USC make national news for the PAC–12, but not on a consistent basis and not with the kind of dominance of an Alabama or a Georgia. And that brings us to the Big12. With a bevy of Midwest schools, one would think that the Big-12 would be teeming with corn fed big boys who do nothing but strap on helmets and hit people. Sure, Nebraska had a great run in the 90s, but could not sustain the success. Kansas has always devoted itself to basketball, and schools like Baylor and West Virginia are just occasional blips on the college football radar. Really, the Big-12 can only point to Oklahoma and Texas in establishing their bona fides. Those are the two programs that really belong in college football elite (some would argue not so much for Texas, but just ask a Longhorns fan and then sit back for a two-hour lecture on Mack Brown’s genius. Hook ‘em Horns!). Whether you believe Texas belongs in that conversation or not, there is no doubt that from a money and influence standpoint, the Big-12 looks to Oklahoma and Texas to give the conference credibility and influence on the national landscape. Well, at least they used to. As most anyone with a passing relationship to college football knows by now, Oklahoma and Texas were recently offered membership in the SEC and they readily accepted. As the old saying goes, “the rich get richer.” The addition of these teams to the SEC appears to be a win-win for all parties involved. There will be more lucrative TV contracts, more influence at the bargaining table with the NCAA, more appeal to student athletes who want to play in college football’s premiere conference, and more rabid fans brought into the SEC fold. Some would call this move a “no brainer” for the conference and the schools involved.

Of course, its not such a great deal for the rest of college football. The Big-12 has suddenly been rendered largely irrelevant on the national landscape. The remaining conferences are scrambling to come up with a strategy to compete with the new and improved SEC behemoth. What was once a super conference has now become a super-duper conference, and one wonders if the revenue and prestige flowing from this shift will result in a conference too powerful for the NCAA to govern.

On a more micro level, teams like Tennessee, already fighting to stay relevant in the SEC and improve their standing, now have to contest with two more powerhouses in their way. There will undoubtedly be some growing pains as both schools (but more likely Texas) have to check their over-sized egos at the door and recognize they are no longer big fish in a small pond. We will have to figure out a way to get that stupid Oklahoma covered wagon into stadiums and god-forbid Texas brings Bevo (its longhorned steer mascot) into Neyland Stadium. Smokey will not be happy.

There are still a lot of details to work out and the repercussions across the football landscape will be felt and analyzed for years. I don’t know if this is a good or bad development. I just know that things are going to be different. As a traditionalist, I am apprehensive, but as an optimist, I am hopeful. Anyway, I didn’t think I should let the moment pass without commenting on it. Go Vols!