Some in the Pac-8 weren't sold on the need to expand. Interestingly enough, this wasn't a done deal. Arizona State understood the need for both schools to stay together and felt that while joining the Pac-10 would hurt a bit on the field, it would be beneficial financially. There was a split between the two schools that Arizona eventually won. The Sun Devils also had a favorable advantage of the WAC champion being contracted to play in the new Fiesta Bowl. Arizona led the charge in order to be included in the west's best conference that was chocked full of high academic universities. At the time, Arizona State really didn't want to leave the WAC as they were dominating the conference and were one of the best teams in the west. The school decided to leave the hostility and go independent in 1971.Īrizona and Arizona State left the WAC for the Pac-8 (which would become the Pac-10). Duke's AD was adamant about investigating the South Carolina basketball and football programs (Duke even canceled games against the Gamecocks). Duke claimed Gamecocks head coach Frank McGuire was playing Grosso despite him not earning the requisite SAT score in high school to earn a scholarship. The Gamecocks felt slighted due to eligibility concerns of Mike Grosso, who chose South Carolina instead of Duke, among others. ![]() This all came to a head, of course, due to basketball. ![]() The Gamecocks, like Virginia, Maryland and Clemson, felt that the league was skewed too far to the Big Four - Duke, North Carolina, NC State, and Wake Forest - that they were being treated unfairly by the league office. South Carolina wasn't the first ACC school to complain about "Tobacco Road bias" in the league, but they were the first to do anything about it. So with the Big Ten's and SEC's latest expansion, let's look at the last 50 years or so of conference realignment of the major college football conferences.įor nearly 20 years, the ACC rolled with their original eight schools before South Carolina decided to leave for independence in 1971. No one assumes that this will be the end of the movement. Meanwhile, the Big 12 has already expanded by adding four new members. Will the SEC look to bring in more members? Will an arms race begin among the power five leagues? How will all this shake out? We've already seen the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 form an alliance to combat the SEC's move, then the Big Ten add two Pac-12 schools. When news broke out about in the summer of 2021 that Texas and Oklahoma were leaving the Big 12 for the SEC it created a firestorm that has fans and administrators wondering what the domino effect will be. So with the SEC's latest expansion, let's look at the last 50 years of conference realignment of the major college football conferences. This is a fairly newer concept that is now motivated by money instead of an alignment of like-minded universities with geographic ties. The SEC went nearly 60 years before expanding. ![]() The ACC went nearly 30 years from its formation before it expanded. ![]() Michigan State joined the Big Ten in 1950, marking the first new addition in the league in 38 years. One conference's ambition tends to force a ripple effect throughout college athletics - and when I say "college athletics", it typically means college football.įor a long time, there wasn't much conference expansion. Everyone plays in peace until someone rattles the cage. We think that because that has been the norm over the last several decades. Will the SEC look to bring in more members? Will an arms race begin among the power five leagues? How will all this shake out? When news broke out about Texas and Oklahoma were leaving the Big 12 for the SEC it created a firestorm that has fans and administrators wondering what the domino effect will be.
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