This was a story that I missed, but a helpful reader forwarded it to me this week.
Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman writes, “I think Mike Slive’s dream is to add Texas, Texas A&M, North Carolina and Duke,” the long-time SEC veteran said. “That would add the state of Texas as well as the Charlotte and Raleigh markets.”
This was posted on June 10, but it holds a few clues about what could be the SEC’s thinking in the world of realignment.
When you combine this tidbit with other information, like the AP story I posted earlier on Oklahoma and Texas A&M’s invitation to the SEC then you can see that Slive is interested in the Texas and North Carolina markets. What the OU president told us was that the SEC would move forward without adding Texas. I suggested earlier this month that the University of North Carolina would be on the expansion list as it fit demographic requirements, has a successful athletic programs and has a strong academic reputation. (See story on Forecasting SEC expansion.)
While conference expansion has settled down, the Big Ten could push forward another round of expansion talk. When that happens, look for the SEC to make its move on North Carolina.