re: Realignment...B1G going after 2 more ACC schools?

It took me a while to get there but that is how I see it as well. This realignment stuff is tricky because it is so complicated with so many moving parts. The SEC has to remember that it is still in the strongest position. It has the best brand. It has the most money. It has the most programs that take football seriously. Adding just to get to 16 is stupid. You only add if it makes the conference stronger.

I also don't mean to bag on NC State and VT so much, I like both schools and both have a lot to offer. I just don't think either is a slam dunk fit for the SEC. They just look attractive because of some of the other options. VT is not FSU or Clemson in terms of football prowess by any stretch but of course FSU and Clemson are off the table because of location. It is also no sure thing that VT stays good after Beamer retires and he is 66 now. I just don't see it at all for NC State. I just don't see how teams that can't dominate in the ACC are going to have a prayer in the SEC. It's different than when A&M came and suddenly got a huge new recruiting advantage over Texas and OU. UVA and UNC aren't exactly powerhouse programs in football either so who are they going to "steal" from?

With UVA and UNC they aren't great football programs but their other strengths make up for it. They also have the resources to be relevant in football if they chose to be, they both have very deep pockets and a lot of donors with huge amounts of cash. If they made it a priority to be a strong football school they could do so. Both schools have a deathgrip on political power in their states as well.

One other thought on the UNC/Duke suggestion as well. The SEC may be the only conference that is so strong in football it can sacrifice some of that to add academic heavyweights and basketball. Add those 2 schools and the SEC is not only the strongest football conference but the strongest basketball conference as well. By themselves they would drop the average US News academic ranking of the SEC by 10 points and over time it will be more as the other schools benefit by being associated with them. It would make 6 of the 16 schools AAU members and be enough to likely push UGA, Bama, and maybe Auburn into the AAU. Realize that membership in the AAU would have a more lasting financial impact on a school than a NC in football and Presidents are the ones that vote.