(09-10-2017 11:53 PM)JRsec Wrote:  If it were just about network strategies then that could work. But Michigan likes playing Minnesota and Illinois. Ohio State likes playing Indiana. And for the oodles of Big 10 alums that is what they want. They've had a history together for over 100 years for the most part. The same is true for the core of the SEC, which of course has ties to many of the core ACC schools through our shared Southern Conference roots.

I think it is far more likely that ESPN regains a larger portion of the Big 10 contract and a increases its successful holdings in the SEC by utilizing the ACC, than it is that the B1G would be parsed out. Geography and money married to the better brands (SEC & B1G) would be would be a much more likely enticement for those grafted into the ACC for less than 20 years than it would be to break apart a solid family with a shared history a century old.

Odds are that the SEC takes a Texa-homa type deal and moves to 18 and that N.D. goes all in and Cincinnati, Connecticut, West Virginia round them out to 18. That way ESPN gets all they really could want of the remaining brands, the ACC gets the added markets and for the price of 36 P schools ESPN holds the majority stake in the 75% of the national brands and the champions of the three major sports.

If that happens then maybe the PAC and B1G find ways to do the same or something similar.

As long as we get some version of Texahoma then I'm ok. And I wouldn't mind it if we end up at 20 with schools like Kansas or West Virginia.

Earlier, y'all were proposing an interesting idea...limiting the number of conference games so schools could create big match-ups. I think it's interesting because if you're going to make room for plenty of big games in non-conference then it almost doesn't matter how large your conference gets.

Theoretically you could go to 4 divisions and create semi-finals for the division winners. You could also go old schools and allow schools to decide which other non-division games they play within conference. You could preserve a lot of rivalries that way and just not count the results towards the division race.

If you had 4 divisions of 5 providing 4 games then keep 4 games for playing non-division foes. That leaves 4 games for playing quality non-conference games.

I don't know, but it's an interesting thought.