What Do The SEC and Quebec have in Common?

Back in 1995, Quebec held one of the closest independence votes in modern history. They’re the only Canadian province that has repeatedly flirted with leaving the country, largely because they’re primarily French-speaking and have a distinct cultural identity.

The campaign got emotional. People got fired up. There was plenty of talk about going their own way and becoming a sovereign nation.

Then the vote happened.

The SEC Conference. Courtesy of Getty images

And by the slimmest of margins, they decided to stay in Canada.

Because when it came time to actually do it, the reality of leaving was a lot more complicated than the idea of leaving.

Now let’s bring it back to college football.

For years, the SEC has carried itself like it doesn’t have to play by everybody else’s rules. It’s the biggest brand, it brings in the most money, and it’s never been afraid to flex that muscle.

So when Commissioner Greg Sankey says there have been discussions about the SEC separating from the NCAA...

I’m not surprised.

To me, this feels like a little bit of huffing and puffing.

Could the SEC survive on its own? Maybe.

But creating an entirely separate governing body—with its own rules, enforcement, scheduling, championships, and everything else—is a lot harder than talking about it.

History says it’s often easier to threaten to leave than it is to actually walk away.

So until I see something more than conversations, I’m betting the SEC does what Quebec did in 1995…

It makes a lot of noise…

And stays.

And besides… historically, when a bunch of folks in the South start talking about seceding, that story usually doesn’t end the way they hoped.