Not going to lie, I would never have guessed that this would be the next major piece of news in the never-ending realignment soap opera.
Chuck Oliver - the self-proclaimed "King of College Football" - has confirmed the rumor that the SEC has said "thanks, but no thanks" to West Virginia (a move the ACC has reportedly mimicked). But the bigger story is who the SEC does want, and according to Oliver, it's Louisville.
Of course, there's one thing blocking U of L from becoming the 14th member of the SEC: Lexington Basketball Academy. Oliver says UK is not cool with the reigning Governor's Cup champions joining the league, and has veto power for any school within its state borders.
So where does this leave the Cards? Oliver continues.
If Missouri does get the SEC invite, the Big 12 (if it exists) emerges as the likely destination for Louisville. As of this morning, Louisville’s attention is split between trying to stay in the SEC’s discussion and waiting on news from Texas. If the Longhorns stay in the Big 12 and the SEC only expands to 14, expect Louisville to join the Big 12 as soon as Texas is confirmed. An invitation to the ACC is not on anyone’s list of possibilities, as both sides recognize the academics of Louisville and the poor fit it would be in that league. However . . .
The Cardinals’ one chance to heave the dice down the table and win the ultimate prize of SEC membership is if the conference expands to 16. At that point, they’re in, Kentucky smiles big and pretends to be happy about it and both schools try to make nice, to some degree, going forward. The move to 16 would almost certainly involve FSU and Clemson, among a few other high-profile schools, re-entering the discussion.
Expect all of this to resolved with two weeks.
Awesome.
That was a sarcastic awesome.
Also, I don't care for the University of Kentucky.