Check out where Duke University ranked on a list of the top candidate schools most likely to join the Southeastern Conference if they expand.
Conference expansion has become an annual story among college sports. Earlier this year, the American Athletic Conference recently announced the addition of Wichita State for basketball. FanSided’s Texas A&M expert Gig’ Em Gazette site recently published an interesting piece ranking the top candidates from other conferences most likely to join the SEC if they decided to expand.
The Blue Devils were ranked the 8th most likely candidate for SEC expansion, with a 17% chance to join. Matthew Bartlett of Gig’ Em Gazette notes Duke in the SEC makes sense for several reasons. Financially, Duke would help the conference based on their location. Adding a school from the state of North Carolina would bring the Southeastern conference a ” top 25 television market with more than 1,000,000 TV homes“.
The Blue Devils would make an impact in athletics. As a football conference, Duke’s improving football program under head coach David Cutcliffe may be able to compete in the SEC. The Blue Devils are three years removed from an appearance in the ACC title game and are set to face Alabama in the 2019 Chick-fil-a Kickoff.
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For basketball, Duke could bring in tons of publicity to the SEC with annual matchups against Kentucky and Florida. The Wildcats are the only program in men’s college basketball that has been to more Final Fours than Duke, and the schools have a history after recently celebrating the 25th anniversary of “The Shot” from one of the greatest games in NCAA Tournament history. Duke Women’s Basketball would also be able to have success in the SEC after a regular season upset of South Carolina, who went on to win the national title.
Next: How Does Wichita State's Move Affect the ACC?
Other ACC schools named include Florida State, Virginia, Clemson, NC State, UNC, and Virginia Tech at the top of the list. The Blue Devils are unlikely to leave the Atlantic Coast Conference any time soon, if ever, but let us know what you think about Duke in the SEC.