Earlier this week, there were rumors that the University of North Carolina is interested in joining the SEC. With the uncertainty of the future of the ACC, it makes sense for the UNC administration to look into all of its options. However, the Big Ten may be a more natural fit for the Tarheels.
Why UNC Should Join The Big Ten and Not The SEC
Conference Emphasis on Basketball
Despite recent success, the SEC has been and will always be a football-first conference. There is no denying that. While the conference has been trying to improve its basketball profile in recent years, fans and schools will always be football first, except for the University of Kentucky, that is. North Carolina appears to be putting a slightly greater emphasis on football with the recent hiring of Bill Belichick. But, it would take a lot for the school and its fans to put football over its beloved basketball.
It is not like this in the Big Ten. While football is first in the Big Ten, there is a much longer basketball history in the conference. You even have a few schools that most college basketball fans would deem to be “basketball schools’; Indiana, Purdue, Maryland, UCLA, Illinois, and maybe even Michigan State. UNC is a basketball blue blood and undoubtedly puts basketball first.
Non-Revenue Sports
North Carolina cares a great deal about non-revenue sports. These are sports outside of football and men’s basketball that a college offers. UNC routinely has competitive field hockey, baseball, soccer, and lacrosse teams, among others. The Big Ten is a champion of non-revenue sports. It has some of the best field hockey, soccer, wrestling, ice hockey, volleyball, and lacrosse programs in the country. Additionally, the SEC does not even offer field hockey, lacrosse, or men’s soccer. This would cause difficulties for the athletic department at UNC, as it would have to find ways to continue to play these sports or cut them.
Academics
UNC also fits much more academically in the Big Ten. While athletics is typically what is driving conference realignment, these are still institutions of higher education. North Carolina is the fifth-best public university in the country, which would put it third in the Big Ten. It is also in the Association of American Universities, which every Big Ten member is a part of, except for Nebraska. Other Big Ten universities would like to align themselves with a prestigious university like North Carolina.
Will This Even Happen?
There have been rumors for a few years now linking UNC to both the SEC and Big Ten. We will not stop seeing these until 1 of 2 things happens. The ACC renegotiates its deal and gets a similar amount of money as the other conferences, or North Carolina decides to leave. If UNC does eventually agree to leave, this will cause an incredible domino effect across college sports. Major brands such as Miami, Clemson, Florida State, Duke, Virginia, and more will all look for new homes. Some would go to the SEC, some to the Big Ten, and others would be left to fight for bids for lower conferences.
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