Along with name, image, and likeness impacting how college football teams are built and which programs have success, conference realignment has fundamentally changed the sport as well.
The "old" version of the Pac-12 no longer exists. Somehow, the Washington Huskies, Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins are Big Ten teams. The Atlantic Coast Conference now contains teams that play miles from the Pacific Ocean in Stanford and Cal. While the SEC at least is more geographically consistent, it's still odd to think of Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma as "SEC" teams instead of the traditional Big 12.
Why did this realignment happen? There's an obvious answer: money.
Simply, the Pac-12 collapsed because its top programs fell behind monetarily. USC, a historic program in the country's second largest media market, was bringing in less revenue from television contracts than a team like Purdue. Because Purdue was in the Big Ten and USC was in the Pac-12.
WHICH TEAMS HAVE THE TOUGHEST STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE HEADING INTO COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON?
Texas and Oklahoma joined the SEC for a larger slice of television revenue pie. More money equals better facilities, better coaches, better recruiting. And now with schools allowed to directly pay football players, a stronger likelihood of better rosters.
Making more money never hurts, but it's clear from looking at the latest revenue estimates between conferences why conference realignment happened. And why it might not be over.
Jeff Fuller on X compiled data from the Equity in Athletics Data Analysis on average team total revenue per conference, and immediately, it's obvious why the top two conferences are the top two conferences.
The SEC far and away brings in the most average revenue per team with $215.5 million. Their deal with ESPN is massive, and thanks to large, passionate fanbases, attendance across the conference is consistently strong. Then there's the Big Ten, which easily clears the ACC, but is tens of millions behind the SEC. That's the power of their television deal and consistency between fanbases.
Looking at the dynamics in both conferences right now, it aligns almost perfectly. The SEC in the post-Nick Saban era is strong top to bottom. Georgia, Alabama, Texas, OU, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida...there's quality and unmatched depth. The Big Ten at the top can match up with anyone, but the bottom of the conference isn't quite as strong.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
This data also makes clear why the ACC and Big 12 have, generally, fallen behind their counterparts: they simply don't make as much money. Miami has turned into an NIL powerhouse and gotten itself back near the top of the sport. But consistently, ACC teams are bringing in less revenue and having less success. Same with Big 12 teams in the post Texas-OU era. Texas Tech, thanks to Cody Campbell, has used NIL to its advantage, but other programs are clearly struggling to keep up.
Does higher revenue automatically mean the SEC and Big Ten will win every championship from here on out? No, not necessarily. Miami was a few plays away from beating Indiana, after all. But it's a significant advantage to bring in more money. And if there are opportunities for even more conference realignment, it wouldn't be surprising if ambitious programs jump ship for greener pastures.
Would Miami leave for the SEC on the assumption that bringing in tens of millions more in revenue each year could make them a force to be reckoned with? What about Notre Dame, would they move into the Big Ten if their unique television arrangement changes?
It seems impossible, and yet just a few years ago, Oregon being in the Big Ten did too.
