Further Insight into 1990 SEC Expansion
You mentioned Miami, NC State, VT and ECU along with Big 8 members, Missouri, Oklahoma & Okla. State as possible 13th & 14th SEC members back in 1990.
Miami went to the Big East at that time. However the SEC is made up of State Land Grant Universities almost except with the obvious exception of Vandy. I think Kramer just wanted two schools back then but raiding those BIg 8 & ACC teams as you suggest back then would have been virtually impossible. The SEC was thought of with much less respect (and money) back then. Big 8 schools would have never switched SEC. Oklahoma break rivalries with Texas & Nebraska or Okie State leave the Sooners. That wasn't happening. ECU & VT would have probably came. However they would have never fit the criteria Kramer was looking for back then.
You have to look where Kramer went. It doesn't match any of the type schools you named except with the Texas schools. FSU & South Carolina were both Independents that were not necessary to be pried away from any conference affiliation. FSU was lifelong Independent and South Carolina had been Independent for two decades after breaking from the ACC. Arkansas was a misfit in a 9 member conference with 8 Texas teams.
Penn State another Independent, had just went into the Big 10 at this time. I remember the Big 10 made inquiries to Missouri back then. Missouri refused, I read that in the back of a sports section in an Indianapolis newspaper when I lived up there back then. Look how long the Big 10 stayed at 11 members? Until 2010, 20 years later by adding Nebraska Not easy to pry schools from the conferences back then.
Money is doing it recently and will do so in the future. Not good for football in breaking long standing rivalries.
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In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
Posted: 12/21/2016 at 12:20AM