David Hookstead
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American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco thinks college football has been split into two different worlds.
Ever since USC and UCLA decided to join the Big Ten, it’s been crystal clear it’s the B1G, the SEC and then everyone else. That fact is even made clearer by the fact Texas and Oklahoma are ditching the Big 12 for the SEC at some point in the near future.
Now, the man responsible for overseeing the AAC is just stating the obvious.
“It’s the Power 2 and everyone else,” Aresco explained to the New York Post when explaining the current state of college sports.
There’s no doubt at all that Aresco is correct with his view on the state of college football. And his conference has also been directly impacted by realignment.
The AAC is losing Houston, Cincy and UCF to the Big 12 starting next season, and in an attempt to plug the massive holes left by their departures, Aresco worked out deals to add UAB, FAU, Charlotte, North Texas, Rice and UTSA.
We’re now at a point where the SEC and Big Ten have become untouchable in college football. Which conference is superior? The SEC is definitely better on the field, but the Big Ten’s new media deal is worth roughly $1.1 billion annually. That’s a lot more than the SEC makes, and you can bet the house the conference will put that money to use.
Meanwhile, the Big 12 will be a shell of itself once Oklahoma and Texas leave, and the PAC-12 is clinging to life as the conference teeters on the brink of collapse.
College football is the world of haves and have nots, and for those of you reading this, I hope your school is in the haves.
With 90% of The ACC likely to end up outside the HAVES … the prospect of an old-fashioned regional conference preserving age-old neighborhood rivalries is NOT that unpleasant.
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Tailgating will still be pleasant and on-field competition likely to be “competitive” … and no $100,000,000 coaching salaries or 18 yos driving Lambos ,…. Not a bad world at all.
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