Per my research, the SEC board of directors approved negotiations with 6 schools for the two expansion slots: Arkansas, Florida St., Miami, South Carolina, Texas, and Texas A&M.

South Carolina voted to accept even before they had an offer. So let's say they're in. But let's say that there are different forces at Arkansas that keep them in the SWC but that the rest goes historically: FSU declines, Miami is uninterested, and neither Texas school works.

The article that I read quoted then-Ole Miss president & SEC Board Chair Gerald Turner as saying that since the SEC would eventually be negotiating its own TV contracts, it wanted to eliminate/prevent competition within its geographic markets with the implication that it is focused on countering any expansion by the ACC and the new Big East FB conference. I'd presume that they are fairly uninterested in small private schools (e.g., Tulane), basketball-first schools with mediocre football programs (e.g., Louisville), and smaller programs with no chance of joining the ACC or Big East (e.g., Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech, Memphis).

So where does that leave the SEC?

- West Virginia? Would they leave the pending Big East Conference and their rivalry with Pitt?

- Virginia Tech? They had a decent independent for a long time but this was before Beamer built a power.

- East Carolina? Good independent team with decent fan base.

- Georgia Tech? Would they leave the ACC?

Is there someone else? How does this play out?

There’s no scenario where Arkansas doesn’t take the SWC invite. They were trying to leave the SWC as early as 1979. (At that time for the Big 8.) They became even more determined to leave the conference after they got called for pass interference against SMU in 1982. If you’ve ever been to Texas, you know how much they hate anybody not from Texas. Try to imagine being the only non-Texas member of an athletic conference.



That’s not even getting into how (according to Frank Broyles himself) Arkansas would have been behind Texas Tech and Baylor on the Big 12’s invite list because those school’s politicians had so much power. Arkansas would have ended up in C-USA if they hadn’t taken the SEC invite.

Frank Broyles was the reason we got in the SEC. He had a lot of sway. I think he knew the SWC didn't have a bright future.

(11-21-2022 11:52 AM)Poster Wrote:  There’s no scenario where Arkansas doesn’t take the SWC invite. They were trying to leave the SWC as early as 1979. (At that time for the Big 8.) They became even more determined to leave the conference after they got called for pass interference against SMU in 1982.



That’s not even getting into how (according to Frank Broyles himself) Arkansas would have been behind Texas Tech and Baylor on the Big 12’s invite list because those school’s politicians had so much power. Arkansas would have ended up in C-USA if they hadn’t taken the SEC invite.

The hypothetical literally lays out that Arkansas chooses something different. What if Frank Broyles wasn't AD at Arkansas and instead it was someone who truly valued the Texas-focus?

If the hypothetical laid out is a problem that gets in the way of having an actual discussion, let's just reframe it as this: If the SEC had a list that had 7-10 teams on it instead of 6, who are those 7-10 teams, and would they have accepted an invite if they had gotten one?

(11-21-2022 11:58 AM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  

(11-21-2022 11:52 AM)Poster Wrote:  There’s no scenario where Arkansas doesn’t take the SWC invite. They were trying to leave the SWC as early as 1979. (At that time for the Big 8.) They became even more determined to leave the conference after they got called for pass interference against SMU in 1982.



That’s not even getting into how (according to Frank Broyles himself) Arkansas would have been behind Texas Tech and Baylor on the Big 12’s invite list because those school’s politicians had so much power. Arkansas would have ended up in C-USA if they hadn’t taken the SEC invite.

The hypothetical literally lays out that Arkansas chooses something different. What if Frank Broyles wasn't AD at Arkansas and instead it was someone who truly valued the Texas-focus?

As to Frank Broyles on the Big 12, he is probably incorrect. There was no way a state flagship was getting left out in favor of Tech or Baylor. Frank was simply defending his decision to go to the SEC (which surely proved to be the right one). He was also the guy that told us the up-tempo spread offense could never work in the SEC.

But if you just really can't deal with the hypothetical nature of the way the question is framed, then let's reframe it as this: If the SEC had a list that had 7-10 teams on it instead of 6, who are those 7-10 teams, and would they have accepted an invite if they had gotten one?

Frank made that comment about how Arkansas would have gotten shunned from the Big 12 in 2010. (At the time the PAC-16 seemed inevitable). The controversy over Arkansas’ SEC move was long gone at that point, so there was no need for Broyles to tell lies to justify it.


But it was a little vague from Broyles’ comment if he had known that Arkansas would get shunned from the Big 12 at the time he made the SEC move, or if that was something he was told after the Big 12 was formed.

I remember something about Houston being in some brief discussions but I don’t recall any other details.

(11-21-2022 12:06 PM)BePcr07 Wrote:  I remember something about Houston being in some brief discussions but I don’t recall any other details.

That seems reasonable given the strength of their program at the time. I wonder if they would have been able to leave if the other Texas schools were not? On one hand, I can see no one caring if Houston decides to leave, at the same time, I can see UT and A&M wanting to block that to not have UH elevated further.

(11-21-2022 12:09 PM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  

(11-21-2022 12:06 PM)BePcr07 Wrote:  I remember something about Houston being in some brief discussions but I don’t recall any other details.

That seems reasonable given the strength of their program at the time. I wonder if they would have been able to leave if the other Texas schools were not? On one hand, I can see no one caring if Houston decides to leave, at the same time, I can see UT and A&M wanting to block that to not have UH elevated further.

Houston was kept out of the SWC for years and joined in the late 70s. I don’t think anyone would’ve cared. Imagine how they’d be now with 30+ years of SEC membership under their belt.

(11-21-2022 11:52 AM)Poster Wrote:  There’s no scenario where Arkansas doesn’t take the SWC invite. They were trying to leave the SWC as early as 1979. (At that time for the Big 8.) They became even more determined to leave the conference after they got called for pass interference against SMU in 1982. If you’ve ever been to Texas, you know how much they hate anybody not from Texas. Try to imagine being the only non-Texas member of an athletic conference.



That’s not even getting into how (according to Frank Broyles himself) Arkansas would have been behind Texas Tech and Baylor on the Big 12’s invite list because those school’s politicians had so much power. Arkansas would have ended up in C-USA if they hadn’t taken the SEC invite.

We don’t hate all non-Texans, just Auburn fans. :)