How Tennessee football is affected by USC, UCLA to Big Ten
1. More and new potential SEC rivals
Related Story. Vols' top 10 now defunct rivalries in history. light
Make no mistake about it. Further conference expansion is back on the table, and with the Big Ten taking a sledgehammer to the alliance and the whole idea of regional conferences, there’s a. national bidding war for every team. Well, the SEC still doesn’t have to go national.
There are multiple powerhouse programs that remain in the heart of SEC Country who are now looking to jump ship, and this could mean further expansion. We may be looking at the league expanding to 20, 24, 28 or even 32 teams, particularly raiding the ACC. Given that fact, Tennessee football may be about to have some new rivals.
The pod system proposed by the SEC for the current 16-team format would just have the Vols playing teams that have been traditional rivals, whoever their three foes would be. However, if the SEC adds schools like the Virginia Tech Hokies or somebody from North Carolina, that all changes.
In many ways, the Vols have never had a natural rival. Despite recent years, the Vanderbilt Commodores weren’t considered one for over half a century, and they and the Kentucky Wildcats seemed to be more evenly matched. Every one of UT’s rivals has another chief rival.
10 school records Vols will break in 2022. dark. Next
However, if you expand the SEC further, you open the door for a new natural rivalry for Tennessee football, similar to what’s become of the LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies. Maybe it’s UT and Virginia Tech, or maybe it’s UT and the N.C. State Wolfpack. Either way, with this Big Ten move comes more SEC expansion, and with more SEC expansion comes new UT rivals.