1. "Clemson is inferior to South Carolina as an academic institution." Not that USNWR is the be-all, end-all. But Clemson is #80 and USC-e is #121. Clemson acceptance rate is 43%. Carolina's is 61%. And I never knew another person who said Clemson is the inferior academically. My brother lives in SC and is a Gamecocks fan. Neither he nor his homies say this. 2. "I’m not sure why the Big Ten would want either one of them." The Big Ten has gone national. The SEC hates this because they just want to keep their conference regional. But they also don't want the B1G moving in on their territory--especially Florida. I have always said that if the B1G wants to go into the South, they shouldn't be messing around with programs like Miami and Georgia Tech, they should go straight for the jugular to real SEC-like programs, Clemson and FSU. AAU be damned. If they take Miami and GT, fine. But not without taking FSU and Clemson first. Translation: Finebaum and the SEC aren't interested in FSU and Clemson, but they don't want anyone interested in them either. Side note: If the B1G would move right down the coast and take a school from each of these states: Virginia (UVa or VT), North Carolina (UNC, NCSU, or Duke), South Carolina (Clemson), Georgia (GT), and Florida (FSU or Miami), this would cause a MAJOR problem for the SEC. Let's say that Finebaum gets his way and gets UNC and UVa. If the B1G would take VT, NC State, Clemson, GT, and FSU, that would be a SERIOUS football presence in the South. The only new places that the SEC could expand to for decent properties is the Southwest, the Rockies and California (ASU, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, KU or KSU, Cal and Stanford)--and they've already rejected these schools and regions for the most part. ** Edited by Maroon Baboon at 3/11/2025, 9:42:27 AM