SEC 'clearly the want' of VA Tech, could interest conference due to TV ratings

According to VT Scoop's Evan Watkins, the SEC is "clearly the want" of VA Tech -- and likewise, the television ratings the Hokies drive in the state of Virginia could be of interest to the "It Just Means More" conference.

"Virginia Tech has been working on AAU accreditation for a while now but they have not achieved it, which could limit their chances of getting an invitation to the Big Ten," Watkins said (h/t 247Sports' Brad Crawford). "The SEC is clearly the want of the fanbase and I think the TV market would carry well in that conference if they were to expand. Right now, it’s as clear as mud but I think the Big Ten is a long shot with the SEC being the most reasonable option of the two. Virginia Tech football drives TV ratings in the state and I could see that being lucrative to the SEC. The Virginia Tech fanbase also travels well and can bring a lot of money to away venues, which should play in their favor as well."

The "Enter Sandman" pregame tradition at Lane Stadium from the VA Tech faithful feels just right in the SEC, but UVA no longer being an in-conference rival would feel a bit empty.

VA Tech and UVA likely to go separate ways if they leave ACC for SEC and/or Big Ten

As Wahoos247's Jacquie Franciulli points out, UVA and VA Tech are not a package deal when conference realignment seemingly inevitably draws both out of the ACC; whose future as a conference is a legitimate question mark.

"I think if Virginia was to pick the ideal spot the Big Ten would be it — due to the AAU accreditation," Franciulli prefaced before saying, "But I think ultimately UVA can be an ideal expansion for both the Big Ten or the SEC because of the TV market UVA would bring. The question with UVA would be, will they be tied with anyone? Would they be tied to Virginia Tech?

So, it looks like UVA will be B1G-bound and VA Tech will be the state of Virginia's SEC representative. Perhaps James Madison could fill the void in the ACC if it survives those two schools, plus FSU, Clemson, UNC, and Louisville's likely departures.