Could USF football one day find itself playing in the Big Ten? Ummm.....maybe
In today’s episode of the Realignment-O-Meter, we learn the perpetual whining by Florida State and Clemson could be a major turn-off for the SEC and Big Ten. And there is at least a suggestion that the beneficiary of that could be (um, checking notes here, shuffle, shuffle) … USF!
USF?
Could we one day see Ohio State challenge USF football for the conference championship?
Logic says no way.
But, according to analyst Greg Swaim, the Big Ten wants a toehold in Florida and USF checks a lot of boxes.
We’ll pause here for a moment and stop thinking like a university president and more like a rational observer of the passing sports scene. But I'll also concede that as far-fetched as this might seem, Greg Swaim has a lot of credility and has been saying for a while that the Big Ten and the SEC don't want FSU or Clemson for a couple of big reasons.
First, there’s the public divorce spat they’ve had as they have tried to force their way out of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Once you get the courts involved, as both schools have, you can be branded as a troublemaker. Who needs that?
Second, and this matters more than you might think, neither school is accredited by the Association of American Universities. The Big Ten prides itself on being a conference where academics matter, and if you’re not an AAU member, that's a deal-breaker. Only 69 colleges and universities in the U.S. belong.
USF is in that group. In fairness, so is the University of Miami.
By the way, when South Florida announced its accreditation in June 2023, officials at Florida State were said to be stunned at being left behind. Whaaaa!
Of course, that doesn’t mean the Big Ten will stampede to Fowler Avenue in Tampa and give USF Athletic Director Michael Kelly the secret handshake.
But as Swaim noted, “We've been talking about the types of teams the #B1G drools over, and also that the B10 wants to get into the state of Florida. Of course they want AAU accredited schools that have over 50K students and a large alumni base. Interestingly enough, but there's one school in the state that meets both requirements...#USF. Stranger things have happened!!”
He mentioned Rutgers, which was pretty bizarre at the time.
USF would top that in shock value times ten, but let’s assume USF continues to improve in football. Outside of the Buckeyes, Michigan, and Penn State, the Bulls could be competitive with most other Big Ten programs.
But focus for now on the two malcontents – Florida State and Clemson.
Besides Swaim, veteran college football observer Brett McMurphy of Action Network also says that neither the SEC nor Big Ten wants either of those two programs. I’ve known Brett for a long time, and he is as relentless and plugged-in as anyone you want to name.
I suppose the Big 12 could be an option, and that would add some star power to the conference. Staying in the ACC probably isn’t an option unless the Big 12 stands pat. Strange days indeed.
Would the departure of the troublesome twosome make it likely that the Bulls would join the ACC? Maybe.
But let’s say the Big Ten, as has been rumored, takes North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Duke, and maybe Virginia. The ACC would be seriously weakened then, but I imagine USF would be glad to join that conference anyway.
Take a deep breath, fellow sojourners. In a few weeks, we’ll have actual football to talk about. Until then, it’s OK to dream.