SEC could add two ACC teams in expansion, but it's not who you might think
The next round of conference realignment is already unofficially underway. The Southeastern Conference could look to add two more teams, this time from the Atlantic Coast Conference, but it might not be who you expect.
Most fans assume the SEC would add Florida State and Clemson to the conference next, but the SEC doesn't seem interested. Part of that could result from Florida and South Carolina working to block each program from joining the SEC or conference priorities.
Rumors have been swirling for months about FSU and Clemson leaving the ACC. They've almost publicly been campaigning with the SEC and Big Ten for a spot in one of the two power conferences, but nothing has been official yet.
Brett McMurphy went on The Paul Finebaum Show and made it clear that both programs are leaving the ACC, and it's not an "if they leave" scenario but a "when they leave" scenario.
"They're gonna leave," McMurphy said on . "It's not if, it's when. Sources with the ACC told me, no surprise, the ACC is going to fight this to the bitter end. Obviously, at some point, they're going to have to settle, but the ACC is going to delay that settlement as long as they can.
"Because as soon as they do reach a settlement and there is a number established for Florida State and Clemson to exit, then that opens the door for other schools to leave. The North Carolina schools, the Virginia schools. Certainly, the SEC would have interest. I don't think they have interest in Florida State or Clemson because they've already got Florida and South Carolina."
McMurphy believes the North Carolina and Virginia schools have an edge over Florida State and Clemson, which is a bit surprising given that both FSU and Clemson are and will be College Football Playoff contenders for the foreseeable future.
Instead of adding additional schools in states it already has, the SEC could look to expand its footprint into states with no SEC teams. Knox News' Blake Toppmeyer writes that Clemson and FSU are candidates for expansion but not frontrunners.
Toppmeyer instead lists North Carolina and Virginia as likely additions to the conference in the future, which would balance the conference after adding Texas and Oklahoma. With the addition of two teams on the East Coast, the conference could go back to a traditional East/West division setup or introduce pods within the East/West divisions to split up the conference.
"I think North Carolina would most appeal to the SEC," Toppmeyer writes. "A big brand and UNC would expand the footprint into bordering terrain. The Tar Heels would deliver the growing Charlotte market, where the SEC Network is based.
"I'd add one more to the list of FSU, Clemson, and UNC: Virginia. Although Virginia doesn't move the needle from where I sit, the SEC could view Virginia more favorably. Adding a school with a Southern identity in a neighboring state would fit previous rounds of SEC expansion."
Toppmeyer also notes that FSU and Clemson would be great additions to the conference. Both fit the conference's culture and have natural in-state conference rivals, which would only benefit the SEC, but he doesn't make an argument for either joining the conference like UNC and Virginia.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey isn't actively looking to expand, with Texas and Oklahoma set to officially join the SEC on July 1, but that doesn't mean these schools aren't preparing to move to the SEC or Big Ten when the door opens in the near future.