I like this quote from an article, I think on ESPiN

[B1rd]

The most probable scenario is the Big 12 lopping off the head of the ACC. They swoop for Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami and Louisville to go to 15. With access to both Florida and Texas, a rootless Notre Dame won’t get a better conference offer than that and joins as a fully-fledged No. 16. The Big Ten and the SEC respond by carving up the Tidewater. UVA and North Carolina align with the north. Virginia Tech and N.C. State align with the South. That moves college football one 16-team grouping away from the four neat “Super Conferences.”

[EatLeadCommie]

Ugh. I could stand to see a lot less realignment. And that article makes a big mistake at the end... UVA and VT would be a group, as would UNC and NCSU.

And then where does that leave Pitt, Cuse, BC, Duke, and Wake?

[KantoSooner]

And then where does that leave Pitt, Cuse, BC, Duke, and Wake?

Playing basketball. Which is really the only sport they care about anyway.

[8timechamps]

I think there's a better chance the Big XII will collapse before the ACC does. The Big XII missed the boat in the realignment, and now there's nothing left to get. When conferences go to 16 (and they will), there won't be 6 quality teams out there to pull into the Big XII. The good news is that we won't ever have to worry about a landing spot.

[SoonerMarkVA]

I think there's a better chance the Big XII will collapse before the ACC does. The Big XII missed the boat in the realignment, and now there's nothing left to get. When conferences go to 16 (and they will), there won't be 6 quality teams out there to pull into the Big XII. The good news is that we won't ever have to worry about a landing spot.

I think that depends on lil' brother. If we cut them loose, absolutely. If not ...

[8timechamps]

I think that depends on lil' brother. If we cut them loose, absolutely. If not ...

In the past, I would agree completely. However, when conferences start looking at adding teams to get to 16, it's going to make programs like OSU look a lot more attractive than programs like Iowa State or Texas Tech. Plus, OU would have the benefit of saying "you can join us in XYZ conference, or you can do your own thing".

[Temujin]

I think there's a better chance the Big XII will collapse before the ACC does. The Big XII missed the boat in the realignment, and now there's nothing left to get. When conferences go to 16 (and they will), there won't be 6 quality teams out there to pull into the Big XII. The good news is that we won't ever have to worry about a landing spot.

Yeah, I'd bank on Swofford making some slick moves before Bowlsby. It's sad that we keep hiring reactive, stick-in-the-mud commissioners that crap the bed every time there's an opportunity to make the conference better.

[badger]

Fun scenarios to consider:

1. Buyouts go away. This makes ACC schools poachable again, as the buyout is now $50 million.

2. The SEC suddenly sucks. As the only major conference without a buyout, this would make the SEC poachable.

3. Two conferences merge. Big 12's 10 plus someone else's 12 or 14 is a nice number all around if you split into divisions or even subdivisions. I think it would be most hilarious if we joined the SEC and essentially forced Missou and A&M back to their old conference.

4. English Premiere League style division tiers. The top 60 or so programs compete in division one, whereas low performing (i.e. losing) programs get relegated to lower divisions, with top performing lower division programs getting the chance to move up. No conferences, just games.

[Mac94]

It seems the general trend is for the weak / unstable conferences to dissolve. In the 1990's that was the SWC (and the Big West in the mid major ranks) ... in recent years that was the Big East (in football ... yeah ... the AAC exists but that's now mid major status. Also saw the demise of the WAC on the mid major side). Right now ... the Big-12 is the most "unstable" of the five majors. While not an "original" scenario I do think the Pac-16 is the most likely long term outcome for OU and the best outcome for the Sooners. If Texas, OU, Tech, and oSu merged with the existing Pac-12 it would be a wonderful end game for Oklahoma. It would end up in a stable power conference while keeping recruiting ties to the state of Texas while expanding west coast recruiting ties.

[KantoSooner]

With an East/West split including the aforementioned OU, UT, OSU and TT along with AU and ASU, CO and who? As the 'East' (or Not Touching The Pacific or whatever name the div would be given)?

[Mac94]

Utah ... it would be OU, Texas, Tech, oSu, ASU, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah

[Mac94]

And considering the Pac-12 does a nine game conference game schedule it would be 7 divisional games a 2 cross divisional games per year

[KantoSooner]

Well, if it ever did come to pass, it'd be interesting from a travel perspective.
Only Lubbock would be truly awful.

[8timechamps]

Yeah, I'd bank on Swofford making some slick moves before Bowlsby. It's sad that we keep hiring reactive, stick-in-the-mud commissioners that crap the bed every time there's an opportunity to make the conference better.

Sad, but true.

Beebe set the conference back years. I think Bowlsby is too afraid to make any moves, so the conference just sits there...waiting to be raided.