FSU has TV Ratings in the Top Ten all across college football That puts FSU only behind Georgia & Alabama with SEC schools. Clemson has TV Ratings that put them well within the upper half of the SEC. A number crunching analysis at ESPN would surely see FSU & Clemson TV Ratings only vastly improving with an SEC schedule. That is surely the single Fact that gets both FSU & Clemson in the SEC. The Gamecocks & Gators will have as much say as the Aggies on the Longhorns. Sankey said just what you would expect. He never ruled out future SEC expansion. Sankey said he could not recruit ACC schools and wanted contiguous states. The SEC has only in the past ever taken contiguous states. The Longhorn/Aggies & Razorback/Longhorn games are the restored rivalries that Sankey refers to Oklahoma is back with Missouri too. I think Sankey just vaguely reaffirmed that FSU, Clemson, North Carolna & Virginia schools would all fit perfectly in the SEC.

Build a core around the following teams (showing their 5 year attendance), as it would be pretty much all sellouts. They aren't quite the top SEC or B10 attendance numbers as those schools comprise the top 10, but the following are still very solid. TOP 30 in attendance: 1. Clemson: 81K 2. Notre Dame: 77K 3. Florida State: 65K 4. Virginia Tech 60K 5. NC State 56K 6. West Virginia 55K 7. Miami 55K Other programs that either have great media eyeballs or attendance: 8. UNC 9. OKSU 10. Texas Tech After this, it gets a bit dicey, but you want to include UVA and Ga Tech for obvious reasons 11. UVA 12. GT At this point, you have 7 to 12 excellent teams. You could stop there at 12, or round it out with a few more schools, which are still way better than the current bottom feeders of other conferences: Iowa State / Kansas State / Louisville / SMU / TCU / Baylor / etc Who wouldn't want a yearly conference schedule with those first 12 teams. What kills the ACC is too many games where attendance is below 45K. GT, Pitt, Virginia, Cal, Stanford, Syracuse, BC, WF, Duke, SMU. You can absorb maybe 2 or 3 of the above, but you can't have those last 5 schools in that list (35K and below) if it also includes weaker schools from GT to Stanford... as they all contribute too much boring inventory. ** Edited by jesuisvtguy at 7/15/2024, 4:05:50 PM

within shouting range of P2. I'm not sure I'd go bigger than 10 schools. Mag 7 + Louisville, GT, and Notre Dame (except football). The XII would be delighted to take Pitt, Cuse, and probably UConn.

Big 12: Iowa State - 60k Kansas State - 52k TCU - 47k Baylor - 43k ACC: Louisville - 51k SMU - 25k

For example, ISU, KSU, LOU are way better than Vandy, NW, Purdue, WF, BC, etc. So while this conference might not be quite as strong on the very top, it wouldn't be as bad on the very bottom. All games would be sellouts except maybe the GT or UVA games, but those teams are capable if they can improve their football programs.

would be stunned if UVA got into SEC over VT, stunned. UVA is literally, the furthest SEC type institution that I can imagine. The SEC is smarter than that imo. Have still heard no logical reason for UVA if networks are running the show, UVA basketball is about the most boring style ever invented.

incremental football value except ND. So, if B1G/SEC add anyone other than ND it will because of other factors. We can debate what those other factors are and compare/contrast VT vs UVA......

Football still pays the bills. What has made SEC so attractive is the passion of its school's fanbases and creating intriguing matchups. Would a network rather have Alabama at VT even in our down years or Alabama at UVA. I think we both know the answer to that. I don't see SEC abandoning that philosophy. Bringing UVA in is similar to Vandy imo and UNC in football as well. UNC does have the basketball brand though and I question that UVA does.

Other factors will be most relevant as no school other than ND brings incremental value for just football

If the SEC wants to expand to NC and VA, their primary targets should be NCST and VT. If they want to add basketball and "historical rivalries" they could then include UNC and UVA. Many of their states include 2 schools, so I don't understand why people are restricting the schools in NC and VA to just the inferior football schools.

you look for something else.

$70 million to the coffers? I don't. Additional high quality football matchups could imo.

their love affair with UNC. If it was about getting the better football team and the ease in winning the states viewers, VT and NCSU would be the easy choices. But it does not appear we are.

...of fans. We fill our football stadium. We have one of the most dynamic openings in college football. And people are talking about UVA being a more coveted property? I'm not buying it. The SEC would be admitting they want the second best, and would rue the day if the B1X then added VT.

however I could see them viewing all 4 as valuable. Just depends on if they want to pick Clemson and FSU over one VA and one NC school. ** Edited by VPI_1998 at 7/15/2024, 2:54:23 PM ** Edited by VPI_1998 at 7/15/2024, 2:56:41 PM

Because Michael Jordan went there 40 years ago. It doesn't make sense to me, but apparently that's enough. But UVA? Their constant inclusion in SEC expansion talk is pretty baffling. I'm holding out hope that the decision makers in the SEC know better.

They don't really fit the profile of any of the recent expansion additions to the SEC, or - in other words they are the least "SEC-like" This may not be a popular shared opinion but I really don't want to see VT join the SEC. I think the chances of VT being successful in that environment are slim - I don't care how much more money it may be worth. Ending up 5-7 every year doesn't sound great to me. I don't want to end up like Nebraska - words that seemed unfathomable to say just 20 years ago. No offense to WarHog38, but VT probably wouldn't fare much better than Arkansas over the past decade. Our beloved Hokies don't even have nearly the resources they do, and they eke out an 8-5 season every once in a while. Maybe our 10 win season streak was a mirage, but I liked that mirage, and I think VT's national reputation was good. I know I am getting older and living in the past but I really hope somehow, some way VT can stay in a solid regional conference with many traditional rivals and with some good brands. I don't even care if it's called the ACC, BigXII East, or Big East redux. I liked playing Miami, WVU, and sometimes even Pitt. And I like playing UVA, NCST, and UVA now, and FSU and Clemson occasionally, and even UNC. But, the current landscape seems to make this impossible so I must let it go...

I was long ago ran off SEC boards due to the truth be pounded upon those boards. I have no defense except just declaring over & over what I see as fact. Arkansas puts teams on a football field that just don't mind losing. The players have no coaching to make them feel otherwise. Bielema, Morris & Pittman are all laid back coaches not capable of motivating football players. You cannot run around just grinning at athletes and patting them on the back. Morris did videos of himself dancing to hip-hop and mailed those to recruits. A real fruit cake. The fact that nobody wants to fire these coached just severely compounds all that. The AD Jeff Long had to be fired to fire Bret Bielema. Long refused to fire Bielema. Now Sam Pittman is acting snarly at his pressers and going 4-8 and AD Yurachek refuses to fire Pittman. Hired Petrino as OC to keep Pittman and not totally lose the fan base. An empty football stadium at least temporarily avoided. Petrino is near legend at Arkansas. The last real good teams over a decade ago. Severe problems at Arkansas related in all this. I think the aged billionaire whales may be the problem. These good old boy coaches give them full access to the football program. I doubt Petrino can now fix it. Pittman will get snappy & snarly with Petrino on the sideline of a game and there will be a blow-up. I hope that gets Pittman fired. As far as comparing the Hokies to Arkansas in the SEC. The Hokies beat Bielema in that bowl game. Arkansas lost a big lead in the second half when the team quit on Bielema. Bielema constantly lost games in that exact manner. Also with Morris, Morris did not win one SEC game in the two years at Arkansas. Arkansas lost home games to schools like San Jose State with Morris. The Hokies could have surely beat that in the SEC. Virginia Tech has a 66,000 seat stadium capacity. That is just a little under SEC standards of pushing 80,000. Just like Arkansas needs a good football coach like Frank Broyles, Lou Holtz, Ken Hatfield, Houston Nutt & Bobby Petrino. Virginia Tech needs another Frank Beamer. It is that damn simple.

I see a lot of good reasons for the SeC to take all 4 VA/NC schools

Taking UVA over VT would be a huge mistake.

I don’t think any power SEC schools want Clemson and Florida State in their league and I think they’ll double down by taking the VA/NC schools to then leave FSU and Clemson on an east coast island in the B1G. As a nice side effect, UGA and Florida get an easier 5 school division to win. Can you imagine a division with UGA, Clemson, Florida and FSU?! Poor South Carolina…. But swap out FSU and Clemson for UNC and NC State and that’s doable for UGA and Florida.

every team getting the same number of fixed opponents with the remaining slots rotating among the rest of the conference. If there are no more divisions in the SEC, then are the members still motivated to want to add perceived easier opponents to the conference or add schools that may be more compelling match-up which could lead to higher payouts?

What works easily is four divisions of 5. Everybody has 4 division rivals. They rotate the other three divisions and play everybody over a 6 year period. 9 conference games. Each division plays exactly the same schedules for balance. Best record wins the division. Division champs make the playoffs.

proposal is not allowed under the current bylaws. If P2 schools want the bylaws changed to include a semi-final round in football and a potential 14th/15th (if 13th game is played at Hawai'i) regular season game, then that would require the support of the majority of DI-FBS schools (maybe even the entire DI football schools) to change the bylaws. What are the P2 schools willing to trade in order to get their way? ** Edited by VTHokie2000 at 7/15/2024, 3:54:28 PM

Sure they’ll have to lose a home game every other year. But when they’re getting paid an additional $30M-$40M a year at some point ESPN and Fox are going to get what they want.

12 regular season games. My point is that the P2 schools would have play either 9 conference games + 2 OOC games or 8 conference games + 3 OOC games to create an open date on the current regular season schedule to play a conference semi-final round in football. Even if the P2 schools were willing to play 11 regular season games and give up 1-2 OOC games (depending on whether they play 8 or 9 conference games), it still may require changing at least 1 of the bylaws (17.11.6.1(b)). Below are the bylaws which are the basis for why I said what I did in the previous post. 17.11.5 End of Playing Season. [FBS/FCS] A member institution's last contest (game or scrimmage) with outside competition in football shall not be played after the second Saturday or the following Sunday in December, except for the following: (Revised: 1/11/89, 1/10/90, 1/10/91, 1/10/92, 1/16/93, 1/14/97 effective 8/1/97, 8/5/99, 4/27/06, 12/15/06, 11/1/07 effective 8/1/08, 10/28/10, 10/27/11 effective 4/1/12, 6/8/15) (b) Postseason Games, NCAA and NAIA Championships, International Competition and Celebration Bowl. Permissible postseason games that meet the requirements of Bylaw 18.7 and the NCAA postseason football handbook or those games played in the Division I Football Championship; football contests played on a foreign tour certified by the member institution; or the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics football championships. In championship subdivision football only, a member institution's last contest also may include participation in the Celebration Bowl. 17.11.6 Number of Contests. [FBS/FCS] 17.11.6.1 Maximum Limitations -- Institutional. [FBS/FCS] In bowl subdivision football, a member institution shall limit its total regular-season playing schedule with outside competition during the permissible football playing season in any one year to 12 contests (games or scrimmages), except as provided for member institutions located in Alaska and Hawaii, under Bylaw 17.31.2, and except as provided for all members under Bylaw 17.11.6.2. In championship subdivision football, a member institution shall limit its total regular-season playing schedule with outside competition during the permissible football playing season in any one year to 11 contests (games or scrimmages), except as provided for member institutions located in Alaska and Hawaii, under Bylaw 17.31.2, and except as provided for all members under Bylaw 17.11.6.2. Twelve football contests shall be permissible during those years in which there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November (e.g., 2024, 2025). (Revised: 1/12/99 effective 8/1/02, 8/5/99 effective 8/1/02, 4/28/05 effective 8/1/06, 12/15/06) 17.11.6.2 Annual Exemptions. [FBS/FCS] 17.11.6.2.1 Bowl Subdivision. [FBS] In bowl subdivision football, the maximum number of football contests shall exclude the following: (Revised: 1/10/90, 11/1/07 effective 8/1/08, 10/28/10, 10/27/11 effective 4/1/12, Adopted: 8/2/12 effective 8/1/14, 1/15/16 effective 8/1/16, 5/18/22) (b) Conference Championship Game. One conference championship game; (c) Bowl Games. One postseason game that meets the requirements of Bylaw 18.7 and the NCAA postseason football handbook; (d) Additional Football Bowl Subdivision Postseason Game. One postseason game between the winners of two exempted postseason bowl games per Bylaw 17.11.6.2.1-(c). The participants in the two post-season bowl games will be selected by Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and independent institutions. g) Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico. Any football games played in Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico, respectively, either against or under the sponsorship of an active member institution located in Hawaii, Alaska or Puerto Rico, by a Division I member institution located outside the areas in question; 17.31.2 Alaska/Hawaii, Additional Football Contest. Member institutions located in Alaska and Hawaii shall be permitted to exceed, by one, the maximum number of football contests permitted under Bylaw 17.11.6.1 but otherwise shall conform to the same maximum number of contests and dates of competition permitted other members of the Association. ** Edited by VTHokie2000 at 7/15/2024, 4:22:04 PM

So, 9 conference games and 2 non conference. Maybe 1 game vs Big Ten and 1 game vs Big XII?

worked out is how much money the non-participating schools would receive for agreeing to give up 1 home game. If the amount is less than the amount each school projects to receive from a home game, then you might have difficulty getting enough schools to agree to it.