Here are 6 more schools SEC should add (and 4 it shouldn't) if it seeks further expansion

Texas and Oklahoma wanted to join the SEC's party, and the nation's richest and most powerful conference was willing to admit entry.

Surely those two Big 12 schools aren't the only universities that would like a seat at the SEC's table.

When Texas and OU join the conference – the schools say they play to begin SEC competition in 2025, but it could occur sooner – that will give the SEC 16 teams.

Seems like a good number. Then again, 14 was working fine.

By adding Texas and Oklahoma, the SEC showed a desire to expand when there were schools presented that the league wanted.

So, who else should the SEC want?

On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," the USA TODAY Network's Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams sift through 10 potential candidates for the SEC to consider if it is open to further expansion.

Toppmeyer functions as pitch man for 10 schools, presenting their résumé for consideration to Adams, who dons his commissioner's hat and grants admission or rejection.

Why the SEC should welcome ...

Florida State

Toppmeyer's pitch: FSU had a strong flirtation with the SEC during the round of expansion of the early 1990s. But SEC chose South Carolina, alongside Arkansas. The Seminoles fit nicely into the SEC's footprint and deserve another look. Yes, they're struggling in football, but top to bottom, this is a strong athletic department. 

Adams says: The SEC should have added the Seminoles previously. Better late than never. FSU won a football national championship as recently as the 2013 season, and the program won't stay down forever.

Oklahoma State

Toppmeyer's pitch: The worst part about Oklahoma and Texas joining SEC? It threatens to disrupt Bedlam. The SEC interrupted the Texas-Texas A&M and Oklahoma-Missouri rivalries with its 2012 expansion. Bringing in Texas and OU restores those rivalries, while also re-establishing Texas-Arkansas. Why not add another rivalry with Sooners-Cowboys? Yes, the SEC doesn't sponsor Oklahoma State's best sport, wrestling, but the SEC could still claim that program's national championships.

Adams' verdict: The thought of adding a wrestling school gives me pause, but I'm all for having Bedlam in the SEC. Plus, the Cowboys would enter the conference with a chip on their shoulder. I like that.

Clemson

Toppmeyer's pitch: The SEC welcomed the wrong university from South Carolina when it added the Gamecocks instead of pursuing Clemson in the 1990s. Why not use a mulligan? Bring in Clemson, and you’d have three of the nation’s top four football programs in Alabama, Clemson and Oklahoma. (We'll get to Ohio State in a minute.)

Adams' verdict: Clemson has an SEC-esque fan base, and its football program would be a perfect fit. Heck, boot out the Gamecocks if you need to make room for Clemson.

Ohio State

Toppmeyer's pitch: Ohio State football. A top-10 athletic department in the country. Massive television audience with viewers in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincy. Need I say more?

Adams' verdict: No need to say more. Welcome in, Buckeyes, whose arrogance is well suited for the SEC.

Central Florida

Toppmeyer's pitch: The SEC likes to brag about its history, but adding UCF would be a nod to the future. The Knights are surging, and fans are emerging from the woodwork. UCF's enrollment tops 70,000. Given that growing alumni base, this fanbase is only going to keep growing. 

Adams' verdict: I mentioned arrogance being a useful quality in the SEC, and UCF showed it has plenty when it claimed its 2017 football team as national champions. As Florida's population increases, UCF only stands to grow in popularity. Welcome to Mickey Mouse's favorite team.

Notre Dame

Toppmeyer's pitch: Tradition. Academic and athletic stature. A cost-to-cost television audience. And it's not just about football with Notre Dame. It has a good history in women's basketball, too. And by adding Texas, the SEC showed it isn't adverse to hubris.

Adams' verdict: A slam-dunk fit for the SEC given Notre Dame's combination of outsized ego and massive audience.

Why the SEC should reject ...

Georgia Tech 

Toppmeyer's pitch: Georgia Tech was a charter member of the SEC before leaving in the 1960s. Harvey Schiller said that the SEC had interest in re-adding the Yellow Jackets while he was the SEC's commissioner in the late 1980s, but Georgia Tech wasn't interested. How about now? The school is located in Atlanta, the SEC’s most important city, and boasts a good academic reputation.

Adams' verdict: No thanks. The SEC doesn't need former members. Plus, Atlanta belongs to Georgia, not Georgia Tech.

North Carolina

Toppmeyer's pitch: Here's a blueblood men’s basketball program that would provide a foil to Kentucky. Plus, UNC is 21-time national champions in women’s soccer. UNC is located just 130 miles from Charlotte, home of the SEC Network and a top-25 TV market city. The Tar Heels finished fourth in the Directors' Cup for 2020-21, and the football program is surging under Mack Brown. 

Adams' verdict: Who cares about the Directors' Cup? As much as I respect Brown, those powder blue uniforms don't fit in the SEC.

Memphis

Toppmeyer's pitch: Memphis houses a variety of SEC fans who root for Tennessee, Ole Miss, Mississippi State or Alabama. Why not welcome the hometown university? The school fits in geographically and would elevate the conference's basketball profile.

Adams' verdict: The SEC doesn't need the Tigers to have its hooks into Memphis. Plus, have you ever covered a game at Liberty Bowl Stadium? It isn't worthy of the SEC.

Virginia Tech

Toppmeyer's pitch: The SEC could expand its footprint up the coast while still sticking to conference’s southern identity by adding Virginia Tech. The Hokies and Kansas State are the only Power 5 schools with no team national championships, but that's a chance for the SEC to show its clout by elevating Virginia Tech to national champion status.

Adams' verdict: If Frank Beamer were still Virginia Tech's coach, then maybe. But not now. The SEC can endure without the Blacksburg, Virginia, television market.

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. John Adams is a senior columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. If you enjoy their coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it. You can also subscribe to their podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered. They also host a podcast focused on Tennessee football, The Volunteer State.