Quote:
Originally Posted by Solecismic
The reason the SEC dominates on the field is geography. The top 200-300 recruits in the country are far more likely to come from Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana than their respective populations would indicate. Texas is no slouch, either.
The SEC has quite a few good population centers and the best overall talent this side of Vanderbilt, but on its own, without a playoff system, it's just a regional semi-pro league that's miles away from the NFL in terms of talent.
What the SEC doesn't have is a lot of AAU-level international universities. Texas will give them five. The Big Ten has 13 and the Pac Twelve has nine. The AAU schools have more national reach and much greater endowments.
The Big Ten has only three universities with endowments below $2 billion (the three newest additions). The SEC will have three above $2 billion (Vandy, Texas and Texas A&M) and ten of the 16 schools are below the lowest Big Ten figure of $1.5 billion.
It will be tough for the SEC to generate interest outside of its footprint without thorough representation from the other three major conferences (the Big 12 and AAC will be at least another level down after realignment).
When the Big Ten, Pac Twelve and ACC met last year, who knows what was discussed. Likely, though, what to do if the SEC thinks they'll play along if it gets the idea that this access to young talent means everything.
One question is whether a super-league can exist without a CBA and some form of a draft. This interim stage doesn't seem very stable - throwing seven-figure guarantees at teenagers sounds more '80s USFL than sound policy.
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But how does the AAU-level universities thing remain all that relevant once we reach the point of a new model that's essentially the NFL? These aren't college students, they're mercenaries for hire.
Let's note here: I haven't said I thought the new model would thrive. I think it kills the golden goose frankly, though it may be an extended terminal illness.