Does the fact that the new Big 10 TV deal with Fox/CBS/NBC

Apr 29, 2023, 9:20 AM

dwarfs even the SEC's shiny new deal with ESPN give Clemson fans hope of getting out of the ACC? In at least a roundabout way, I think it does. The SEC has long been the 800 lb gorilla bully on the block, and the fact that there is now a bigger gorilla does not sit well at all with Greg Sankey.

But, articles state that the new ESPN / SEC deal was hammered out with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma already included, which gave the SEC leverage for added value. Now, other than expansion, the only thing the SEC could do is something that at least some teams in the conference oppose, and have pushed against for years, a ninth conference game on the schedule each year.

With the Pronghorns and the Schooners joining up, many assume the nine game schedule will just happen. But, from the SEC's standpoint, especially now that the BIG has surpassed them on per team payouts, ESPN won't get that concession without forking over some more loot. That would provide, as one article said, "more inventory", meaning more conference games to possibly broadcast.

But, there is one other lever the SEC could use, and that is where Clemson comes in. Another way to get "more inventory", and renegotiate any existing TV deal, is to add more teams. Recent articles have had several different conferences carving up the ACC, with the BIG taking the most, the Big 12 taking some more, and the SEC taking Clemson and Florida State. In the ever increasingly insane world of conference expansion, Clemson and FSU to the SEC is the first move in awhile that would actually make geographic and rivalry sense. It would also solve a couple of bad PR problems that the SEC is about to have if they go to the nine game conference schedule, because that ninth conference game would mean the sacrifice of the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry, and the Florida-Florida State rivalry, if the SEC teams had their way.

If the ACC were to suddenly disband as several rumors postulate, the legal sticking points over the GOR disappear. If more than half the league teams leave at once, the ACC has no legal recourse, from what I have read. And, since the SEC is for once, already behind the 8-ball to the BIG, they will certainly not just sit on their haunches and let the BIG pluck away a couple of very desirable football properties that sit right in the middle of their footprint. So, just as Texas A&M was told to shush when they voiced objections to Texas entering the league, you can bet the Powers that Be in Columbia and Gainesville would get a visit from Mr. Sankey, with an offer they WON'T refuse, if they tried to block Clemson or FSU from SEC admission at that point.

The next few months may in fact be interesting, as recent articles have stated. Or, it could turn out to just be more "Clemson is going to the Big 12!" ridiculousness, only time will tell.