SEC Football: Top 5 expansion candidates for the conference

Back in the 1980s on into the first years of the 21st century, Miami was among the top teams in the country. The past decade-plus have been hard on the Hurricanes. Realignment from the Big East into the ACC back in 2004 proved detrimental rather than beneficial for Miami’s growth curve. The Big East was great for the Hurricanes, though, so it is possibly more a matter of fit within its current conference than a matter of being unsuited for conference affiliation.

The past season, though, saw Miami begin to return to prominence under second-year head coach Mark Richt. The former Georgia coach has been building up his alma mater back to a position of division primacy.

Despite a rough patch of recent history, the Hurricanes remain among the preeminent brands in college football. Swapping allegiances from the ACC over to the SEC would provide a 42 percent boost in revenue based on the most recent TV rights deals for each conference. It would also give the SEC the dominant position in southern Florida and boost the rivalry between the Canes and the Gators.

The scenario that nearly played out in the 1990s with Florida State could just as easily happen with their rival decades later. Miami would fortify an unbalanced Eastern Conference with a move to the SEC.