SEC and Big Ten are expanding. But beware, bigger isn't better for every school.

Adam Sparks, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read
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The SEC is expanding. And so is the Big Ten.

That’s great for every SEC and Big Ten football team, right? Well, not necessarily.

The SEC will be stronger when Texas and Oklahoma join from the Big 12 in 2025 (or perhaps sooner). And the same goes for the Big Ten when it adds USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 in 2024.

But bigger isn’t always better for everybody, especially mid-tier teams in those conferences.

The SEC and Big Ten are expanding to sweeten their TV contracts and gain supremacy in the new era of college football. It’s about money and survival … but mostly money.

Tennessee players warm up ahead of an SEC conference game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021.
Tennessee players warm up ahead of an SEC conference game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021.

When everything settles, the top level of college football likely will be made up a three or four super conferences. The SEC and Big Ten will lead the way, albeit in different versions from their traditional membership.

Mid-major schools (currently called Group of Five) could be left out. And major schools (Power Five) will jockey to land a spot in a surviving conference.

Any school in the SEC or Big Ten should feel fortunate to make the cut, but by varying degrees.

Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, USC, Texas and others will continue to be heavyweights over the long haul. Lower-tier teams like Vanderbilt, Northwestern and Rutgers won’t see their standing change much in a super conference.

But mid-tier teams like Tennessee, Auburn, Wisconsin and Nebraska could feel the strain of expansion. In a conference roster of 10 or 12 teams, they could settle into the upper tier competitively.

But when their league expands to 16 or 20 teams — especially in adding tradition-rich programs like Texas, Oklahoma, USC and UCLA — their ranking could suffer.

Granted, it’s better to be a medium fish in a big pond (super conference) than a big fish in a dry pond (defunct conference). But the challenge within those conferences will be much greater for those mid-tier teams in the next era of college football.

They'll reap the financial benefits. But winning will be even harder.

Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: SEC and Big Ten are expanding. But beware, bigger isn't better for every school.