The SEC response should be

Mike Slive is doing his best knucklehead Jim Delany impersonation. UGA President Adams is showing EXACTLY why he was bypass for the ultimate leadership position in college sports.

“I’ve said this before and when asked I’ve advised the commissioner: I think we’re in the driver’s seat on these kinds of issues,” Adams said Thursday in a hallway of the Sandestin Hilton. “I don’t think we have to necessarily respond to anybody.”

Evading leadership is not the SEC way, especially when it comes to matters involving football. Sitting around watching what everyone else does before making a decision is more for politicians. As any guy knows from playground scuffles, as any good military general knows, as any good coach knows, - The guy who strikes the hardest 1st wins and its' bad policy to play defense from your heels (just ask Willie- w his read & react D). Why not be “1st strike Mike” - why support a different policy? Expansion is GOING TO HAPPEN! Why not shape the landscape versus being molded by events or at the very best having fewer options?

Slive is letting another golden opportunity slip thru his fingers by not pursuing Texas harder, and he’s letting Larry Scott (Pac-10 commissioner) out flank him. If Larry Scott pulls off enough of a coalition to make his bean counters happy for a new TV deal, each Pac 10 member could be earning north of $20M. Oh by the way, if that does happen that means that the SEC will be in 3rd place in terms of revenue for each university – FOR THE NEXT 14 YEARS! Again this apparently sits well with Adams adding “Ratings are good, ESPN’s happy, we’re happy, and obviously the money is good.” Adams shows his true cloth by believing that good enough (3rd place) equates with greatness! As Slive reminded folks in Phoenix last month the SEC is supposed to be THE Preeminent athletic conference, but as the longer this expansion talk goes, as the paradigm shifts from rumor and speculation to credible reports and reality, the less I’m convinced that Slive is actively pursuing the mission – he’s denied it at every available instances. Or if he is trying to follow it, he’s trailing badly in the race after the first corner loosing to a knucklehead and a tennis enthusiast – not another football mind.

Can Slive pull another rabbit out of his hat? Yes. There are some signs that Larry Scoot maybe biting more than he can chew. Both DeLoss Dobbs (Texas AD) and Bill Byrne (TAMU AD) have both gone on the record about travel concerns. Apparently the TAMU WBB played in Pullman; disembarked from the plane in College Station @ 6 am and were back for class @ 8 am. And if it is ALL about the student athletes- well then? But could there be 20M reasons why a Pac-10 “East”, with essentially Big 12 South and both AZ schools, wouldn’t work??? Culturally, historic tradition and values would also have to be more in lined with the SEC. Notice I left off competitive reason for Texas. A conference and national title dream would come far easier playing a 2 game season OU, then USC for the right to go. However, in my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have ever imagine that DeLoss Dobbs would prefer traveling to Ashbury Park over Hoover, Ala. for a summit, but then the pursuit of money does a lot of different things to people.

There’s also the risk assumed by adopting the wait and see course action that the SEC will get the rep of feeding off “sloppy seconds”. Say TAMU (travel) and OU (just tried of the TX superiority attitude – want nothing else to do with the Horns.) do join the SEC in the end. Great, Slive just picked up what another didn’t want or need, yippee! Let’s hold a news conference! Then the SEC adds FSU and Clemson to make the sides even. What has that done other than increase the denominator to divide by? The SEC has no south FL presence, no state dominance in TX, already had SC and whole state of OK has fewer eyeballs than Roswell. That adds little that the suits in Bristol would want to shred the contract up.

Larry Scott just opened the tops of the silos; rocket fuel is being added; topped of with a nuclear war head. Slive needs to strike in order not become as relevant as Kansas or the ACC in this discussion. Adams, just please be quiet. Slive show some leadership, get some stones!

Update:
"Don't be afraid to fail. The greatest failure of all is failure to act when action is needed. Use the information that you've acquired in the past through the experiences you've had and act with self-control — but act."

John Wooden Global Leadership Award ceremony (May 21, 2009).