Why Clemson football should - or shouldn't - favor a move to the SEC
With the SEC and Big Ten at the forefront of the ongoing transformation in college football, Clemson has emerged as a prime candidate to join either league should expansion continue, which by all indications it will.
It makes sense – for reasons both logical and financial – for Clemson football to strongly consider a departure from the ACC, which has been the Tigers’ home since its formation in 1953. We're not ignoring the other seven men's sports and 11 women's sports that Clemson offers, but this round of expansion is all about football and the revenue it generates.
If presented with opportunities to join both the SEC and the Big Ten, the powers that be at Clemson are likely to lean toward inclusion in the SEC.
Here’s why Clemson should – and shouldn’t – be advocating to become the SEC’s newest member:
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Positive: Commonality
Like most of the schools in the SEC, football is Clemson’s calling card. And Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, with a capacity of 81,500, would translate nicely to the SEC, which already boasts seven of the 12 largest college football venues in the country.
Positive: Proximity
The majority of schools in the SEC footprint are located a relatively short drive from Clemson, with Georgia (1½ hours) and South Carolina (2 hours) qualifying as virtual backyard rivals. Three other schools – Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn – are a five-hour or less drive and Vanderbilt is six hours away.
Positive: Natural rivalries
Clemson has a long history of playing SEC opponents on a regular basis. In addition to its annual showdown against in-state rival South Carolina, the Tigers have played Georgia, Texas A&M and Auburn in the regular season during the past five years, not to mention four postseason clashes against Alabama since 2016.
Particularly attractive should Clemson join the SEC would be an opportunity to renew an annual showdown against Georgia, which appeared on the Tigers’ schedule for 15 consecutive season between 1973 and 1987.
Positive: Money
Don’t kid yourself – the movements of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC and last week’s revelation that Southern Cal and UCLA are bound for the Big Ten were all based on financial reward. The SEC and Big Ten are expected to land new TV deals that could result in per-team annual payouts of between $80 million and $100 million, which would dwarf the ACC’s $36.1 million payout per team in the 2020-21 fiscal year, according to the ACC’s most recently available tax records.
Such a financial disparity would be far too great to pass up for Clemson.
Negative: History
Clemson has been a member of the ACC for 69 years, and the dissolution of that relationship could be a bitter pill for both parties in terms of affiliations and traditions. As a founding member of the league, Clemson football would be forfeiting several longstanding rivalries with teams that have been opponents in series that date back 100 years or more.
Negative: Challenge
Clemson has dominated the ACC in football for the past decade, but the Tigers’ chances of continuing that dominance as a member of the SEC likely would diminish. The SEC is the undisputed king of college football, having won 12 of the past 16 national titles, with five teams wearing the crown.
Much like the ACC, the SEC has a few cupcakes, but rest assured that the Tigers will have a tougher time against the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and LSU as well as newcomers Oklahoma and Texas.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Why Clemson football should - or shouldn't - favor a move to the SEC
