SEC and the Big 10, the two big bullies of college football, are at it again. They have the House v. NCAA settlement in their minds. They also have a 2.5 billion dollar payout for former athletes to consider. But, more than that, they have some maneuvers to remain the top dogs in determining the fate of the others in college football. However, the Texas Longhorns have come up with a plan to surpass all that.
The SEC is aggressively pushing for a changed landscape of college football. A landscape where the SEC would get 4 automatic playoff bids in an expanded playoff of 14-16 teams. Also, a landscape where they can earn more than anyone in college football currently stands at $811 million per year through their ESPN deal. The Longhorns’ Athletic Director, Chris Del Conte, has all this in mind, but with a slight tweak in his schedule.
Michael Bratton on the ‘That SEC Football’ podcast provided an insight as to how Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns are doing all that. “I like statements like this because he was asked, well, you know we got games with Ohio State coming up, we’ve got games with Notre Dame on the books. Are we going to cancel those if we go to the nine-game? He said hell no; I firmly believe this our brand should be playing the greatest brands in college football because we are the best.” But what was even the statement Bratton was talking about? Well, we’re getting there.
Conte has been pulling all strings and more to get the SEC to agree to a nine-game season; he said it in his recent statement. “I prefer nine games. Why? Because we play Oklahoma at a neutral site. So, one year, we get four games. One year, we get three. If we had a nine-game schedule, four and four, we’d play our rival at a neutral site…It’s like Bengay or the atomic bomb. I’m applying constant heat on this particular subject with our friends in the SEC, that we need a ninth game.”. But the question is, why do Steve Sarkisian and Texas need a 9-game schedule so desperately?
Well, for starters, it might be for money, more money, and then even more money. Texas has just announced that they will add more scholarships to their current number as per the ceiling set by the House v. NCAA. Furthermore, they have also decided to pay their athletes $20.5 million annually (per the terms of the settlement). However, the most controversial aspect is that they have decided to increase their ticket prices by $13 per game, which will be almost $80 for the regular season. So, they will need money to adjust all these expenses, and where will the money come from?
It will be likely through the increase of 1 conference game in the regular season. At the surface, an increase of 1 game doesn’t count that much. But think of it this way. The Longhorns and Aggies game in the 2024 season was the 10th most-watched non-playoff game. Now, when the Longhorns start to play these rivalry games every year, think of the massive revenue boost they will get. Add that to 4 guaranteed playoff spots, and the Longhorns would easily make the cut every year. Things look quite optimistic now, right? Well, that’s why they are pushing the agenda so hard, even at the expense of other SECs or even in the Big 10, who may not like the idea outright, and here’s why.
SEC teams at a disadvantage from the Longhorns’ push?
The 4 guaranteed playoff spots do guarantee the Longhorns a highly probable spot in the playoffs every year. However, there’s still uncertainty as to how the playoff spots will be awarded within the SEC. Will it be through a committee? Or will it be through the league standings? No one knows. Either way, there will be teams who will be at a disadvantage due to their strength of schedule or season record. So, where do we go forward with this?
Well, Texas is planning more than their fans can digest. For instance, they will incur almost $30 million in new costs in the added proposals. That includes a $9.2 million increase in scholarship quotas, construction of new indoor and outdoor facilities at the stadium, and the organization of a fan day on April 26 that will include all kinds of facilities. The verdict?
Conte is quite adamant about his idea and pushing it with all his might, as he dismissed rumors of him moving to SMU. “I ain’t going to SMU. Who wants to ride a pony?”. That means he is here for the long run and is making sure his presence is felt throughout the SEC.
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