Chris Clary

Wow.

First of all, when I hear the word, when I'm in the deep south and I hear a southern coach who used to have a Confederate flag as part of the state flag say something like secession, I get very nervous.

And it would be the worst thing in the world for the SEC because it would, I mean, even though the arrogance in this league, and I'm part of it, as you know, is high.

The testosterone is through the roof.

And there's no doubt the SEC can say, you know what, screw you guys.

We're going and having our own party.

But nobody wants to see the SEC play each other 12 times a year.

There's something great about Ohio State going to Texas this year or Oklahoma going to Michigan or these other games that do matter.

And I think it would stay in the SEC forever.

It would polarize.

I mean, after 50 years of hard work of trying to get away from the 60s and all the things that went wrong in the South, I think it would just take a lot of the Southern schools perceptively, especially where you are, right back to where they were.

I think that we are, yes.

I think what's most likely to happen, there'll be a compromise where for three years we go to 16 and then we go to 24.

I mean, I was walking around that meeting in Florida Tuesday and Wednesday, Tony, and there are SEC people who want to go to 24.

And the reason is simple, self-preservation.

If you're going to pay a coach $12 million, you need him to get to the playoffs no matter what the playoffs look like.

Tony, there is nothing as unique as a Southern Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi or Knoxville.

You've covered sports for a long time.

And I'm not taking anything away from a Steelers-Ravens game.

They don't care as much.