(04-16-2018 05:02 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Suppose that the Big Ten and SEC had really had their way with the ACC during the Great Realignment. The Big Ten takes UNC and UVA in addition to UMD (and Rutgers), while the SEC helps itself to VT and NCSU. With the ACC reeling, the southern contingent hooks up with the depleted Big 12. The remnant ACC absorbs the Big East football schools, obviating the formation of the AAC. Thus after the dust settles, we have something like this:

ACC
Atlantic: Boston College, Connecticut, Duke, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Wake Forest, West Virginia
"Coastal": Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston, Louisville, Memphis, South Florida, TCU

Big 12 (many possibilities for divisional alignment here)
The One With Oklahoma: Baylor, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
The One With Texas: Texas Tech, Florida State, Miami-FL, Kansas State, Texas, Iowa State

Big Ten
East: Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Virginia
West: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin

Pac-12 (same as in our timeline)
North: California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington, Washington State
South: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, Utah

SEC
Eastern: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, NC State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech
Western: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas A&M

Maybe the Big Ten and SEC would opt for a WAC-16 style pod setup.

Plausible?

I don't think it's plausible because I don't see Tobacco Road ever splitting up under any circumstances.