How do folks see some sort of a merge with the ACC and Big12 as a solution?

The whole issue is the weak demographics of much of the Big 12 and the massive amount of dead weight of the ACC.

Sure, if you take the prime parts of the Big 12 and ACC it works, but if you don't, you just have the same issue with only a larger conference. The prime parts of this massive conference will still get picked apart by richer conferences once the GOR expires.

Plus, you will never get Texas to give up the LHN or agree to any expansion that large.