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Whereas the faculty soccer world waits to see how and when Texas and Oklahoma are built-in into the Southeastern Convention and what occurs to the remainder of the Massive 12, the opposite Energy 5 conferences are taking inventory of their very own fortunes.
Will the Massive Ten swoop in to choose up Kansas — any person’s gotta be a soccer laughingstock now that Rutgers isn’t unhealthy — or Iowa State? (Who let Kirk Ferentz in right here, anyway?)
WHAT’S NEXT?: How will the Energy 5 conferences reply after SEC growth?
However what if issues go the opposite approach, and the SEC begins raiding different main conferences? Are there any Massive Ten groups that could possibly be swept up within the SEC’s nigh-unstoppable land seize?
It looks like a scenario rife with distress, as longtime Midwestern soccer rivals are torn aside within the combat to maintain faculty soccer’s money flowing. (Y’know, like when Colorado and Nebraska bailed from the Massive 12 for the Pac-12 and Massive Ten, respectively, however with a good TV deal.)
Did somebody say “distress?” After watching Michigan and Michigan State mix to go 4-9 (and a kind of wins got here towards the opposite) in 2020, nobody is aware of distress just like the Freep’s Massive Ten Distress Index. And so we thought we’d check out the potential odds (that we made up) of a Massive Ten crew deciding “It (getting paid) Simply Means Extra” and leaping to the land of Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban and making enjoyable of Tennessee soccer. (We have been going to go in alphabetical order for equity’ sake, however we all know you’re already scrolling down to 1 sure crew…)
POWER RANKINGS: SEC soccer from first to worst if Oklahoma and Texas performed in 2021
Rutgers: 14,000-to-1
Hahahahahahahahaha… oh, you’re critical. OK, properly, the SEC has Paul Finebaum. The Scarlet Knights have Paulie Walnuts.
Purdue: 13,000-to-1
The way you gonna have “The World’s Largest Out of doors Cocktail Occasion” in Jacksonville and not using a few Boilermakers?
Minnesota: 12,000-to-1
Let’s examine P.J. Fleck Row The Boat towards the Vol Navy…
Nebraska: 11,000-to-1
Has actively tried to go away its present convention searching for a greater deal. Has a soccer crew beloved by a whole state (kind of) regardless of not successful something main in additional than a decade. Additionally has a basketball crew it claims to care about regardless of no proof that it does. Eh, labored for Texas…
Wisconsin: 10,000-to-1
Didn’t Arkansas already do this after they employed Bret Bielema away from the Badgers in 2013? (In favor? The basketball squad, which has thrived for 20 years on white dudes with buzzcuts taking a shady strategy to issues like equity, decency and “non-basketball performs.” Feels like SEC materials to us.)
Illinois: 9,999-to-1
Severely, hasn’t Bielema already suffered sufficient? Extra to the purpose, have not the Illini suffered sufficient?
Indiana: 8,000-to-1
Hoosier followers have already got their (striped) overalls, and Bloomington isn’t a lot farther north than Mizzou in Columbia. Professional: Doable yearly Indiana/Kentucky basketball video games. Con: Doable yearly Indiana/Kentucky soccer video games (particularly as soon as Michael Penix Jr. and Tom Allen depart).
Maryland: 7,000-to-1
They already employed an ex-Saban assistant, similar to what, half the SEC? OK, OK, seems the SEC is down to a few Sabin-ites. (Although that’ll be 4 when/if Steve Sarkisian and Texas make it a 16-team convention.)
Northwestern: 6,005.2222(repeating)-to-1
Pat Fitzgerald is a hometown man, loves smash-mouth soccer and isn’t, ever, ever leaving his present job. He’s Ed Orgeron with a more-understandable (however not higher) accent.
Michigan State: 5,000-to-1
Talking of former Saban assistants, hiiii Mel Tucker. … What’s the enchantment for the Spartans? An opportunity for revenge on Nick Saban as soon as a decade and each convention recreation feeling like the Capital One Bowl?
Michigan: 4,000-to-1
A practice-bound soccer franchise that has struggled to adapt to the fashionable period whereas seeking to a flashy, NFL-tested head coach to show issues round? You say Michigan, we are saying Ole Miss. (Feed Harbaugh vs. Finebaum on a weekly foundation into our veins, please…)
Penn State: 3,000-to-1
James Franklin received 24 video games at Vanderbilt — nonetheless eighth-best amongst Vandy coaches all-time — and made three made three bowl video games (No. 1 in Vandy historical past) in simply three seasons. You suppose the SEC needs to face him armed with the Nittany Lions’ Pennsylvania/Ohio recruiting base? (And severely, we all know it’s powerful to match postseason performances — however Franklin’s two bowl wins with the Commodores is as many as each different Vanderbilt coach mixed. A miracleworker in Nashville.)
Iowa: 2,000-to-1
Put the Hawkeyes in no matter SEC division is weakest and watch them go 8-4 yearly whereas making the championship recreation each three seasons. We dare you. (Spurrier popping out of quip-retirement to diss Texas’ SEC transfer — “they will’t win the Massive 12 anyway” — is correct up there with Ferentz’s rationalization of his timeout use towards Minnesota final 12 months: ““Figured we’d take Floyd with us and depart the timeouts right here.”)
Ohio State: 1,000-to-1
However the Buckeyes dominate like an SEC crew! Provided that everybody within the SEC turned off January’s CFP championship recreation after the primary quarter. (Additionally, OSU’s girls’s basketball program bought a postseason ban and probation in an investigation that snowballed when a member of its fencing program snitched. That is likely to be the least SEC factor doable.)
Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Comply with him on Twitter @theford. Oh, and the Free Press has began a brand new digital subscription model. This is how one can acquire entry to our most unique Detroit Tigers content material.
This text initially appeared on Detroit Free Press: An SEC spot for Jim Harbaugh, Mel Tucker and … Iowa?
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