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Conference Expansion

10/5/2011 2:08 PM

Back during the summer months when there wasn't much talk about football on the playing field since games were not being played, talk was turned to conference expansion.  I stated several times over the summer that I saw the SEC expanding to 14 and then possibly 16 teams.  16 would be ideal, and then have 3 other conferences with 16, and thus you have the framework for a playoff system at the end of the year to determine a national champion.

By now you have heard of Texas A&M coming into the SEC next year.  If I were Jeff Long I would work very hard to keep the Texas A&M game in Arlington at Cowboys Stadium.  Kyle Field can be intimidating at times for a visiting team, and Arkansas owns the Aggies in Cowboys Stadium by winning the first 3 games of the 10 year Southwest Classic deal.

The question is who comes into the league next?  I say Missouri, and yes it will happen before the 2012 season. 

It is too hard to schedule with 13 teams in a league and have some teams not playing each other to try and dertimine a champion.  I see the SEC adding another team so that scheduling gets easier.  With the addition of Missouri, the SEC will more than likely move Auburn to the East.  Auburn has a rivalry with both Georgia and Florida that can stay intact.  Auburn can also play Alabama every year as the non-division opponent in the Iron Bowl.

Once the SEC brings in a 14th team, don't think that they will go to sleep.  Mike Slive will keep his options open for further expansion and I think the SEC will eventually stop at 16.  For now however SEC fans should get used to hearing "Gig 'EM"  and "M-I-Z / Z-O-U"