3 reasons why SEC-Big Ten partnership could trigger ACC & Big 12 implosion in conference realignment era

An SEC-Big Ten affiliation could be nearing. The two conferences have already begun attempting to shape the College Football Playoff landscape in their favor, which would alter the landscape in itself. That might not be enough for them, though, and the sport could come to look more like the NFL, with two conferences consisting of the most notable programs.

The SEC and Big Ten have already mulled over a possible agreement in scheduling, a topic that came up last September as they talked about their desire to have automatic bids into the College Football Playoff.

"The future scheduling partnership could hinge on whether the SEC eventually decides to go to nine conference games — a topic one SEC source said hasn't been a focus of conversations lately," ESPN's Heather Dinich wrote then. "Some Big Ten athletic directors could push back on any agreement if the SEC doesn't move to nine games, because the Big Ten already plays nine league opponents."

If the two college football power conferences decide to join forces, it could change the sport as we know it. The dominos began to fall when Texas and Oklahoma joined the SEC, prompting the Big Ten to poach USC and UCLA from the now-nonexistent Pac-12.

An SEC-Big Ten partnership might cause programs in the ACC and Big 12 to panic, especially name-brand ones such as Florida State and Clemson. Some teams would be left in limbo, much like Oregon State and Washington State were when their state rivals left the historic West Coast league that they were all a part of, to wither away.

Why would the ACC and Big 12 suffer from an SEC-Big Ten partnership?

It's already happened to one conference, the Pac-12. The fear of missing out on attention and money trumps loyalty to a conference. USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington are some of the most storied teams on that side of the country, yet they decided that hefty travel bills and the confusion of hopping to a grouping on the other side of the country were worth the hassle.

It only takes two programs heading to greener pastures for a conference to implode. The only reason the Big 12 didn't was because it ate up the other schools in the dying Pac-12.

Say some combination of ACC programs such as Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, and Clemson decided to join an SEC-Big Ten super league. Lesser-supported teams such as Pitt, Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest wouldn't be able to draw national interest on their own.

College football has changed a lot over the past five years or so, but an SEC-Big Ten partnership would alter it for good. After all, cash is more valuable than regional ties or deep-rooted rivalries.