If TAMU joins SEC, 14th team not dictated by local market size.

For all of the market analysis by people on here about viewers brought in by Mizzou/FSU/VaTech/TCU/Clemson/GT/Miami, your research is unrelated to SEC tv contracts. The market analysis of a college team is only relevant in regards to a regional cable channel such as FSN/BTN/PACwhatever channel. CBS and ESPN have rights to the airing of SEC games, NATIONALLY. This isn't because of the Vandy vs Mississippi type of game. Or even the Florida vs Vandy games. It's all about the big dog games pitting powerhouse versus powerhouse. Regardless of how you feel about who is considered powerhouse or not, the brands of many SEC football teams are strong enough to gain viewers from all parts of the country.

1. UF/Bama/Auburn/UGA/LSU/Tenn all have brand recognition and when facing each other are more than likely to give the impression to the casual CFB viewer that 'hey this is good game' (Save the 'Tenn/Auburn is irrelevant' BS. Despite a few average seasons, they have a brand)

2. All teams are followed by their local market. LSU vs Bama will certainly draw viewers from LA and AL. Likewise LSU vs UK will draw from LA and KY. All conferences have this going on.

3. ESPN/CBS/ABC/your flavor network, strike deals with conferences to air those local market games in exchange for the rights to the big dog games.

3. Some teams don't have that brand that is necessary to draw viewers from outside their local market except during the infrequent good year. I'm talking about the UK/Vandy/MissSt.

4. In order to bring on someone, the SEC isn't looking for Vandys or Mississippi States. They only suck from the revenue pool. The SEC will only add someone that will bring in outside of their local market.

5. Historically, TAMU/FSU/Miami have developed a national brand, even though they're in slumps right now. Some teams are more recent - VaTech. Some have never had a national brand, Mizzou/GT/Clemson/OkSU/Colorado (3 years of a stellar Barry Sanders or Chase Daniels, or even a nat title run don't create a brand)

6. National viewers will watch Miami vs SEC powerhouse. FSU vs SEC powerhouse. Vatech vs SEC powerhouse. Regardless of how YOU personally feel about those teams, nationally these teams bring the 'hey, this is a good game'. Not so much a Missouri vs SEC powerhouse. Not even a Colorado vs USC.

7. Missouri vs SEC powerhouse will be on ESPN and draw viewers largely from powerhouse state and MO. However it doesen't bring anything extra to the SEC as a whole. We already have these types of games. Hence local markets don't matter.

8. USC vs Colorado brings usual USC viewers and Colorado. This works because it would be on a cable network that is in a place that it otherwise wouldn't have been. Hence local markets matter.

The SEC's enormous national tv contracts are due its ability to bring marquee matchups with greater frequency than the other conferences. The ratio of marquee matchups to shitty matchups is also better than the other conferences. Bringing in some also ran from another conference does nothing to increase the frequency of great matchups, it actually makes them more infrequent.