Why should the SEC, Big 12, and ACC listen to the Big 10?

As the Big 10 inches towards canceling its season, Dan Wetzel, Pete Thamel and SI's Pat Forde ask why should the SEC, ACC and Big 12 conferences follow the Big 10's jump into the abyss? For the full conversation, listen to the Yahoo Sports College Podcast.

Video Transcript

DAN WETZEL: I think in the end, they're all gonna come up with the same conclusion or they're all going to pull the plug, but I certainly don't think anyone needs to be listening to the Big Ten on this. The Big Ten says they don't want to do it, knock yourself out, guys.

Create the legends and the leaders. We'll decide on our own. What's good for you may not be good for us. You know, what-- I mean, why does the Big Ten-- you know, is running around trying to get other people to join them?

I mean, I'm not even answering that call. All right. We got our own doctors. I mean, I'm not giving them cover. Again, at the end, yeah, maybe, but maybe not.

Maybe these other leagues-- I would much rather hear a commissioner like that say, we're going to listen to our doctors and scientists. And if our doctors and scientists in the Big 12 basically say don't play, we're not gonna play.

But, you know, the whole idea we got to all hold hands here, or I want a little cover, or there's got to be a domino. And, look, this is what people are saying. That's where we come up with this stuff. You know, you talk to the-- all right, once one goes, we're all gonna go.

And that's probably the political reality, but I don't have to agree with that political reality. Probably true-- I'm sure it's true. So, you know, is the SEC or the Big 12, are they gonna get-- like, what is this pressure if they're out there on their own for a couple days?

PAT FORDE: But you know how universities are and commissioners, and they are very sensitive to their perception. And the perception will absolutely be, if one after another starts going, well, the SEC is only waiting because they don't care about anything but football.

And there are university presidents of those schools, and you could look around the south and see how much money they are pumping into academics and how hard they are trying to get really high-quality students to come from out of state.

Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi are all doing that. And then if the narrative is out there, oh, the SEC doesn't care about anything but football, that's all they care about, those presidents start getting twitchy.

So if you want to talk about why, I'm not saying it's a great reason, but that's the kind of thinking that goes into these things.

DAN WETZEL: Yeah. Narrative, narrative, narrative, whatever.

PETER THAMEL: Liability, liability, liability, right?

DAN WETZEL: Yeah, that-- but that's a good reason, liability. Not narrative.

PETER THAMEL: Yeah.

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