Current:Home > MarketsImagining SEC name change possibilities from Waffle House to Tito's to Nick Saban -Core Financial Strategies
Imagining SEC name change possibilities from Waffle House to Tito's to Nick Saban
View
Date:2025-04-17 09:05:58
The Big 12, as you once knew it, is long gone. Half of the membership from the original dozen teams vamoosed. The conference’s name itself might be the next to go.
What’s in a name? Money, in this case.
The Big 12 preserved its name even while it operated with 10 and later 14 teams. Now, that it's back to a 12-team league, it is reportedly considering selling off the conference’s name to a corporate sponsor in a move that could generate millions in new annual revenue.
The Action Network reported that insurance giant Allstate is an interested potential sponsor, which could turn the Big 12 into the Allstate 12 Conference.
Expect the tradition-rich SEC to be more hesitant to go down this path. Even as the SEC expanded from 10 to 12 to 14 and now 16 teams, the conference carefully selected new schools that meshed with the conference’s fabric and fit into the league’s geography and culture. The SEC is a powerful, lucrative brand with a carefully crafted identity.
Mention the SEC to a passerby on the street, and more people would think Southeastern Conference than they would Securities and Exchange Commission.
The SEC enjoys a position of financial strength. It doesn't need to sell its name.
But, the Big 12’s news got my creative wheel turning, and I mused: If the SEC considered selling its name to a sponsor, what are possibilities?
TOPPMEYER:How the SEC gutted Big 12, Oklahoma to Texas
ALLSTATE CONFERENCE?:When P. T. Barnum (excuse me, Brett Yormark) comes to college sports, bring on circus
Let’s have some fun, shall we, with these far-fetched ideas.
Waffle House Conference
This one is too easy. If you created a Venn Diagram of SEC football fans and Waffle House enthusiasts, it would just look like two circles placed on top of one another. So, I give you the Waffle House Conference, where opponents go to get smothered, covered and diced.
Buc-ee’s Conference
Gas station doesn’t accurately describe what Buc-ee’s is to the South. It’s a transformative experience. You could easily spend an hour (and a couple-hundred bucks) inside the gas station’s accompanying country store. If the SEC partnered with Buc-ee’s, I’m envisioning cleaner stadium restrooms and vendors selling hot brisket. Not bad, huh? Plus, who doesn’t love that cute beaver logo?
Dream Motor Group Conference
Never heard of the Dream Motor Group? It’s Nick Saban’s Mercedes-Benz car dealership. Many SEC fans claim Alabama runs the conference behind the scenes. Time to step out from behind the curtain, Mr. Oz. Golf can’t fill all of Saban's time. He can appoint himself czar of the Dream Motor Group Conference.
ExxonMobil Conference
Big Oil meets college football. Doesn't get more American than that. Initially, I considered just having Jimbo Fisher sponsor the SEC – he’s got money to burn – but a Jimbo Conference would fail to meet expectations, so I pivoted to ExxonMobil. Surely Fisher didn’t dry up all of the oil reserves. Forget coaches’ buyouts. Sponsor a conference instead. Be on the winning side, not the loser’s.
Tito’s Conference
Tito’s, a vodka distilled in Austin, Texas, captured America’s heart thanks to its effective marketing, corn mash and clean taste. Tito’s bottles are ubiquitous at pregame tailgates, while fans work up a morning buzz on Bloody Marys, screwdrivers and the like. Anyway, “It Just Means More” is starting to age. Freshen the conference motto. How about, Tito’s Conference: It’s lit.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. Follow him on X: @btoppmeyer.
veryGood! (42)
Related
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- Officials say gas explosion destroyed NFL player Caleb Farley’s home, killing his dad
- You remember Deion Sanders as an athletic freak. Now, he just wants to coach standing up.
- Abortion rights backers sue Ohio officials for adding unborn child to ballot language and other changes
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Angels go from all-in to folding, inexplicably placing six veterans on waivers
- Netflix ending its DVD mail service could mean free discs for subscribers: What to know
- Alligator on loose in New Jersey nearly a week as police struggle to catch it
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Abortion rights backers sue Ohio officials for adding unborn child to ballot language and other changes
Ranking
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Injury may cost Shohei Ohtani in free agency, but he remains an elite fantasy option
- What should I consider when offered a buyout from my job? Ask HR
- Alex Murdaugh’s Son Buster Speaks Out on Dad’s Murder Conviction in Tell-All Interview
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- National Cinema Day collects $34 million at box office, 8.5 million moviegoers attend
- How to win USA TODAY Sports' NFL Survivor Pool: Beware of upsets
- NASA exploring whether supersonic passenger jet could cross Atlantic in 1.5 hours
Recommendation
Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
You can see Wayne Newton perform in Las Vegas into 2024, but never at a karaoke bar
Hurricane Idalia's path goes through hot waters in the Gulf of Mexico. That's concerning.
Timeline: Special counsel's probe into Trump's handling of classified documents
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
Maui wildfire leaves behind toxic air that locals fear will affect their health for years to come
30 Florida counties told to flee as Idalia approaches, hate crimes spike: 5 Things podcast
11 taken to hospital as Delta jetliner hits turbulence near Atlanta airport