Outside folks like to poke fun at the SEC and the fans' pride/camaraderie but it's harder to understand when you don't share a culture and history, outside of football, like the SEC does. Regionalism is the one thing that sets this conference apart from the rest, even with the 2012 expansion. How can someone in Piscataway, NJ relate to someone from Lincoln, NE? Or Syracuse, NY to Blacksburg, VA? The SEC was able to make financial, market grabbing moves while still maintaining a solid sense of identity; much better than any other conference has. I can only imagine if the OU-OSU move to the PAC 12 had happened 5-odd years ago. An OSU Poke in LA or Eugene; makes total sense.
