A school first needs a great coaching hire. These days they also need good Offensive & Defensive Coordinators. Pinching pennies cannot be an issue in holding those coaches once they are hired. They will each want millions in raises as levels of success are reached. Failure to pay those raises will likely cause them to move on to better financial offers from a program's competitive rivals. Great facilities are the next recruiting enticements that will cost millions. An 80,000 seat football stadium is the gold standard in the SEC. Along with Triple A type baseball stadiums and 20,000 seat basketball arenas. Arkansas has a top flight track facility built by a donation from Tyson. Walmart paid half the cost of the basketball arena built during the Nolan Richardson basketball era. Even a top flight basketball practice arena is necessary these days to lure top flight basketball recruits. All these things are absolutely necessary to recruit at a top level in the SEC in football, basketball, baseball & track. Not all schools in the SEC has these luxury type facilities. I know Missouri and the Mississippi schools are very lacking. However they will pay the prices on coaches. Kentucky puts the big bucks in basketball and Vandy is not on a par with most of the schools in the SEC facility wise. Those schools have their bars raised for competing in the SEC by not paying the millions necessary for luxury facilities. I noticed a post here that said Virginia Tech would join the likes of Kentucky & Missouri in the SEC. The actual question is how much money will Virginia Tech spend to win in the SEC?