News on college expansion will likely create headlines for the entire summer. While Texas is driving much of the expansion talk, recent news developments have the Big Ten under the gun and the Pac-10 being proactive in its pursuit of six Big 12 schools, news which colleague Andrea Adelson rounded up nicely today.
Throughout it all, the Southeastern Conference sits back as football’s Warren Buffett, with billions in the bank but tempted to play the market again.
Commissioner Mike Slive wants to make his league better. Does that mean adding more teams?
After spending four days in Destin for the SEC meetings, it was pretty obvious the league’s officials don’t want change as badly as the Pac-10 and the others searching for a so-called superconference. Most league presidents and athletic directors immediately reference how comfortable the league is when asked about expansion.
Why would they want a wild reshuffling? The league worked tirelessly to create a television deal that’s the envy of college football.
The SEC’s almost $3 billion in television money from ESPN and CBS showed college athletics how to maximize their dollar. In the process, the SEC motivated its peers to top it. The Pac-10 is throwing the first punch, an ambitious move to lure Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado (or possibly Baylor) as a member of the Pac-16 and a potential annual television distribution of $20 million per school.
If the Pac-16 pulls it off, the league will trump the SEC’s $17.3 million per school distributed in the 2009-10 fiscal year, the first under the new television deals.
If the SEC really doesn’t want to make a move, it must swallow its pride and deal with the reality that their television deal might, over time, become second-best should the Pac-10 prevail with its plan throughout the summer.
You’ve got to believe Commissioner Mike Slive will strike if necessary, or if Texas is attainable. Slive said last week that distribution won’t prompt the SEC to change, but the ratings of more appealing matchups might. Even if the league doesn’t land Texas, a school like Virginia Tech playing Florida in football would be a more attractive television draw than, say, Kentucky-Florida.
But the league has a sense of security amid the expansion talk because of its inventory. The presidents are beaming after seeing the total revenue numbers of $209 million, and that doesn’t count each team’s regional multimedia package.
Slive said his league has a “sense of calm and sense of togetherness.” Worst-case scenario, the Pac-10 pulls this off and the SEC still has the last four national titles and billions to count.
Not a bad fall-back plan.