Is the Big Ten targeting ACC teams North Carolina and Miami? The latest reported CFB expansion news amid the arms race with SEC
The Big Ten has been one of the biggest college football conferences and is rumored to be linked with a few programs. The teams potentially trying to jump to a Power Five conference would be the Miami Hurricanes and the North Carolina Tar Heels.
What are the chances that one or even both programs will be joining the Big Ten as the conference tries to get to even footing with the Southeastern Conference? Let's dive into both teams and discuss the likelihood of the programs joining the conference soon.
The Big Ten will end up adding one team
With the ideology of trying to be on equal footing with the SEC, the Big Ten is going to look to add some programs in order to improve their standings in the eyes of college football. With the Miami Hurricanes and the North Carolina Tar Heels potentially on the verge of changing from the ACC to a Power Five conference, the need to land at least one program is there.
It makes sense for one of the programs to land inside the conference. If the SEC is going to avoid the Miami Hurricanes for the simple reason of not wanting three programs in Florida, this could be a major grab for the Big Ten. One major strength of their conference is the fact that each program has a distinct history.
Looking at the programs associated with the conference, there is a lot of history with the teams. The North Carolina Tar Heels seem to be more in line with the SEC as they are in the same geographical location and in a market they can take advantage of.
Can they match up with the SEC?
The SEC is trying to figure things out and continue their arms race to get to the point where there is no other conference that can keep up. They have won all but two national championships since the 2015 season.
It will be hard to envision the Big Ten getting to the point where they are going to be competitive with the SEC. They were able to add the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans ahead of the 2024 season and if they were to also add either the North Carolina Tar Heels or the Miami Hurricanes, things could be different.
Until they are able to actually surpass the SEC, they are going to be the number two conference in college football.