"I don't think it's best for college football": Big Ten and SEC superconferences idea draws severe criticism from North Carolina HC
The Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference are obviously the two most influential and competitive conferences in college football. The current waves of conference realignment have led to the suggestion of creating megaconferences with the two leagues.
While a few people within the landscape have welcomed the idea, North Carolina coach Mack Brown criticized the possibility of that. In a recent interview with Action Network, he said having two dominant leagues is not the best situation for college football.
“I don't think it's best for college football to have two mega-conferences with 50 teams (total) because there are so many great programs that will not be able to compete at the same level they are now. When that happens, their fans are going to be really disappointed, and they're going to lose revenue.”
Mack Brown wants what’s best for college football
Noting that the creation of superconferences by the Big Ten and SEC is detrimental to college football, Brown wants decisions within the landscape to be made in the best interest of the sport. He believes college football represents the people and their love for the sport.
“When I was president of the American Football Coaches Association, I always said, 'Are we voting to do what's best for your school, or are we voting to do what's best for college football?' I've always gone in what's best for college football because that's the masses, and it's the game that we love.”
Brown pointed out the concept that has already been muted within the realm, which involves class-based systems of conferences. He instead wants a scenario where college football is competitively spread across that country rather than concentrated on two conferences.
“I've heard Coach (Nick) Saban say, 'There's gonna be the haves and have-nots.’ If we do that, I'd like to have as many ‘haves’ as we can because I think it's healthy for college football to have an emphasis on college football in each part of the country instead of just having two.”
Will the Big Ten and SEC create megaconferences?
The idea of creating two megaconferences with the Big Ten and SEC will create a seismic shift in the landscape of collegiate athletics. The two leagues will boast an unprecedented assembly of powerhouse football and basketball programs.
Without a doubt, we are advancing toward that path considering the ruthlessness in recent expansion and realignment. The Big Ten and SEC have lately added top teams from other Power Five conferences and might continue to do so if the opportunity presents itself.