CFB insider hints at 2 schools joining SEC post Big-12 and Big Ten poaching 5 Pac-12 schools
While other conferences have been adding teams, the SEC expansion front has been quiet. It already has two programs joining in 2024 in the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners from the Big 12.
While making an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show on Friday, ESPN personality Paul Finebaum hinted that two more teams could be poached from a Power Five conference.
"Florida State was talking to the SEC on Tuesday. They weren't talking to the Big Ten. If Florida State figures out a way, then there's Clemson. Clemson and Florida State feel like SEC schools. They are SEC schools."
Patrick then asked if Florida would want Florida State. Finebaum responded that the answer is probably no. However, the Gators would probably not have too much of a say, similar to how Texas A&M didn't want Texas to join.
The league is at a level where it doesn't need new programs, but some top programs need the conference.
Are Florida State and Clemson in line for SEC expansion?
The SEC expansion makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons. The Florida State Seminoles and Clemson Tigers seem to be part of the eight Atlantic Coast Conference teams looking to leave the conference.
The SEC expansion seems to indicate that the conference wants to, at least, stick in the general location of the Southeastern United States. Nothing screams proximity to the conference more than Clemson, South Carolina and Tallahassee, Florida. There is also a certain level that a majority of the programs in the conference have upheld as this is arguably the toughest conference in college football.
Clemson and Florida State have also excelled on the gridiron. The Clemson Tigers are the only non-SEC team that has won a national championship in eight years. The Florida State Seminoles have hit the reset button since their 2013 National Championship but have become contenders once again.
The SEC has gotten to a level where it can be selective, and there may not be another crop of elite programs like these two available for a long time, so they need to jump at the opportunity to add these teams.