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Pros and cons of conference re-alignment for the Florida Gators

By Will Thomas

GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 13: A general view of the sign saying This is..The Swamp during the game between the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 13, 2014 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 13: A general view of the sign saying This is..The Swamp during the game between the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 13, 2014 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /
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It seems that everyday there are new rumors about conference re-alignment that come out. From teams joining conferences that make no geographical sense, to conferences losing most of their competitive teams, just about every possibility has been explored. With some new rumors popping up about the SEC adding teams, it’s time to take a look at how re-alignment will effect the Florida Gators.

Pros

Texas and Oklahoma have already planned to join the SEC, and now some ACC schools like Clemson and FSU have reported interest in also joining the conference.

With the addition of these traditionally great teams (despite Texas still not being back) the competition that SEC teams will face week-to-week will be stronger, forcing each team to step up their games.

This could be a good thing for UF. There have been recent times where it has seemed that UF has overlooked lesser opponents, and suffered because of it. The game against LSU in 2020 is a recent example of such, as well as a narrow OT win over FAU a few years ago.

Getting to see the best version of the Florida Gators every week is something that fans, and recruits, will greatly enjoy.

Expansion will also create more frequent matchups against teams that UF rarely plays. Getting a regular season matchup every so often with Texas, OU, and other teams that may join the conference, gives fans the opportunity to travel to new stadiums. Likewise, it gives the few Gator fans that may live out in Oklahoma a chance to see their Gators come play close to them.

Cons

In the long run, adding teams to the SEC won’t totally benefit the teams who have been in the conference for a while. 

The SEC has been the gold standard for college football for years. Adding teams to the conference takes away what makes it special and unique. The SEC has its own traditions, own style, and trying to blend teams from other conferences won’t always work.

More teams in the SEC will also mean taking away some of the media attention that goes to the Gators by default. For example, if FSU ends up in the SEC, they’ll be getting boosted coverage by the national media just for being an SEC team. No Gator fan wants that.

Other teams being elevated to the SEC level takes away the pride that comes with being a member of the conference.

The “It just means more” saying is used more in jokes than un-ironically, but it’s still true. The level of football played in the SEC is elevated over all the other conferences.

And expansion may take that away.

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