Paul Finebaum Names ACC Contender That Will Struggle With SEC Standards

After a busy offseason in which the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten and ACC officially expanded, there could be more changes on the horizon. Teams such as Florida State, North Carolina, Clemson and Virginia may decide to move to other conferences in the future.

A caller on The Paul Finebaum Show asked the SEC Network analyst why the SEC wouldn't consider taking Virginia Tech over Virginia. Finebaum explained that while Virginia Tech may offer a better football game, the decision would be based on academics and the SEC's preference for state universities going forward.

"I believe that the SEC now wants to target state universities," Finebaum said. "In the state or commonwealth of Virginia, the University of Virginia is more highly regarded than Virginia Tech."

Finebaum mentioned that 15 years ago, he argued that West Virginia and Virginia Tech would be ideal SEC schools. However, he was told that their academics would not meet the required standard. He concluded that decisions about adding teams would be more about academics rather than the football aspect.

Finebaum also believes Virginia will likely be attached to North Carolina, citing academics as a contributing factor. So, only time will reveal if the SEC ends up adding any of the schools from the ACC should they decide to depart.

Related: Paul Finebaum Reveals SEC Might Not Want Two ACC Powerhouse Programs