Obstacles to Overcome in the SEC

So Clay Travis says that Tech fans have "SEC fever", something that I didn't think needed an article written about it...I mean it's not like it's a secret.

I want to move to the SEC more than Ralph Friedgen wants a new plate of waffles (and/or Randy Edsall to crash and burn during his Maryland tenure). I want to move to the SEC more than Florida State wants to leave the ACC (okay, probably not).

You get my point.

Regardless of that, I really think that we need to, as fans, embrace what could potentially be around the corner. Now I'm not trying to be a Debbie downer, or hit the brakes on the collective enthusiasm of starting in a new conference, but a move of this size is going to bring repercussions, whether we like it/expect it or not.

So what might we see? Here are some things that I expect to see with a move Southeast:

How will fans handle being just average? I'm not saying that this is going to be a consistent trend, but needless to say I don't think there will be consecutive 10-win seasons whenever our tenure starts. I could just be a pessimist, but there are just absolutely ZERO gimme games in the SEC. There are no Dukes, no Wake Forests and no UVAs (#SHOTSFIRED). Heck, even Vanderbilt looks spunky. But seriously, remember those games where the offense wouldn't show up for the first two and a half quarters, but we still won by 20 simply because we had more talent? That is not happening anymore. Remember all of those trips to the Orange Bowl we took for granted? Yeah, now that becomes the Chick Fil A Bowl...only because it goes to the team in 5th place. For a few years, we will realistically have to mirror the role of South Carolina or Mississippi State (vacillating between 7 and 10 wins, depending on the ups and downs of the conference) while we adapt to the different style of play (read faster and more talented).

Will the talent base still hold up? This is really a question that can be divided into two parts:

1. Is the current talent on the roster good enough to hold up competitively in the SEC?
2. Is the talent coming into the program good enough, or will recruiting endeavors have to expand?

I think part 1 is a little easier to determine. The squad currently fielded is AT LEAST good enough for 7 to 9 wins if Tech was an SEC team this year. You have an all-world quarterback who's only getting better, and a defense that may be one of the best Bud Foster has ever coached. But the thing about this team, is that they have already been coached up...leading us to part 2.

This staff makes its living taking guys who are average to good, and making them good to great. We've seen it time and time again; it's a part of who we are as a program, and I wouldn't want it any other way. The thing about that method, however, is that it takes time. The thing about taking time, is that the best teams in the SEC "don't rebuild, but reload" (excuse the cliché). Reloading also means taking really, really good freshman and immediately inserting them into need positions.

Can we do that with the talent we recruit? I know all of the theories that a move to the SEC would automatically boost our recruiting, I get that and I'm not going to argue. But...can we feel content to stay in our Virginia, North Carolina, a little bit of Pennsylvania and Georgia and one high school in Florida pipeline?

Say we are ready to expand, and we dabble in Texas. We expand more into Florida. Are we prepared for that? God knows that we'll have the money, but will the staff be ready for it? Will we have more Charlie Wiles moments? Will we be able to handle situations like TJ Millweard or Robert Lockhart? I think we would have to inevitably dip our fingers into Texas and Florida, mainly because we have certain staff members (see Beamer, Shane) that can handle it. Speaking of Beamer...let's move to the final question.

Will Frank Beamer be able to handle coaching in the SEC? And (much more importantly) will he even want to?
Okay, I'm not implying anything, but it's definitely a valid thought. I think that Frank could handle coaching against Saban, Miles, Richt and Spurrier...but will he want to? In my opinion, coaching in the SEC is like being president; it ages you twice as fast (unless your Spurrier, which it actually makes him age twice as slow). What more does Beamer have to prove? Does he really want to coach in a league whose unofficial motto should be "If you aint cheating, you aint trying", and will have the microscope on him more than ever?

Now I know he has 4 years on his contract, which I'm sure he will fulfill. But I really think that we will see a couple of assistants who are...SEC ready....to take even more important roles with the team, in preparation to take over. I'm not saying that the Frankinator will leave because we move to the SEC...I just don't think he deserves to deal with all the crap that comes with it.

So here we are. We're calling for it from the stands, from and blogs and (arguably) from our pockets. But the question still remains, are we ready for all of what will come with it? I am, because I think this move (eventually) leads to a championship. I'm sure the administration is ready ($$$).

But when we hit some bumps...don't say I didn't warn you.