South Carolina football: is Clemson next to join SEC?

The era of college football expansion is now upon us, with Big XII affiliates Texas and Oklahoma reportedly on the move to the SEC. What domino will fall next?

There’s been speculation of a the Big XII dissolving as a league, having the remaining members join either the ACC, Big Ten, or PAC-12 to create four super conferences. There have been other ideas floated regarding expansion, too.

Will teams like UCF, Boise State, and Cincinnati join Power Five conferences? Will Notre Dame officially become a member of the ACC? Which other major players might abandon ship and jump to a new league?

One ESPN basketball analyst has a suggestion, which would involve archrival Clemson moving into a conference with South Carolina.

Jay Bilas believes it’s in the ACC’s best interest to form a merger with the SEC, saying it’s a natural fit for both parties involved.

"“It has a great geographic fit with all the different markets. And there are amazing rivalries in that.”"

Bilas notes the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry, Kentucky-Louisville, Florida-FSU, and Georgia-Georgia Tech. He believes that there are enough profitable television markets in play to make it a smart move for everyone involved. He also says that the ACC may need to make this move sooner rather than later, as the SEC seems to becoming a ‘mini-NFL.’ Not trying to join efforts could result in falling further behind.

One interesting note that Bilas touches on is the power that the television networks have on this expansion. Fans are no longer interested in watching their teams play “directional schools,” which has led to the scheduling of major out-of-conference contests like the one we’ll see between Georgia and Clemson in week one. Both the ACC and SEC have television ties to ESPN, which would allow the network to easily air these new matchups. It also gives financial motivation for ESPN to push for this move.

If the two leagues were to merge, it would all but eliminate having to play cupcake opponents. Instead, each of the 30+ members would play each other in an 11- or 12-game slate. Obviously, a championship game would follow. This merger would restore the Gamecocks’ former ACC rivalries with North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, and Duke. It would create some interesting basketball matchups, too.

There’s one issue that Bilas sees, though, and that comes to play if the SEC didn’t want to accept the league as a whole. Instead, it could opt to pluck top teams like Clemson and Florida State to further build it’s football resume.

Personally, I like the idea. The Gamecocks already play Clemson on a yearly basis. They regularly schedule other ACC foes in out-of-conference play, too. Should it come to fruition, these matchups would become more important in a race for a conference title.

Some will say they don’t want the schedule to get any tougher, but this is the way that college football is moving. Big time games each and every week. It will inevitably shift further in this direction. Maybe these two leagues can get out in front of the change.