"With that, we're here to clear up the confusion, set the stage for 2013 -- and beyond -- and look back to see what was gained and lost after three years of wild rumors and surprising reshuffles. Below, conferences are ranked based on loose realignment grades since 2010. They are NOT ranked by football strength for the 2013 season. It's more of a barometer of who won and who lost the realignment game, which has mercifully reached an ending … for now."
http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/46250634/
Article ranks with my selected quotes...enjoy!
1 - SEC "Missouri's addition does no harm, Texas A&M's is a big gain, and once again the SEC comes out on top."
2 - B1G "Mercifully, the Rutgers and Maryland additions were worth it if only to eliminate the Leaders and Legends division names after an embarrassing three-year run...
3 - ACC "The ACC isn't going to become the SEC, but it's finally stable, it has a stable of marketable big-name teams, it continues to produce NFL talent and it has a direct line to the College Football Playoff with permanent Orange Bowl access."
4 - PAC 12 "Oh, it could have been so much more."
5 - Big 12 "Hey, it could have been much, much worse."
6 - MAC "The MAC lives in its own happy little bubble, the only conference dancing through realignment virtually unaffected, immune to rumors and interest from other leagues."
7 - MWC "The league doesn't come out as winners, but the return of Boise State and San Diego State allowed it to avoid disaster and continue at the top of the second-tier leagues."
8 - CUSA "Meet the new Sun Belt. Pretty much all of Conference USA's relevant teams - Houston, East Carolina and UCF, mainly -- are gone or will be gone...."
9 - Sunbelt "The Sun Belt lost a lot, but it's not like its profile was that high to begin with."
10 - AAC "Really, it's basically the Conference USA, but don't confuse it with that either."
11 - WAC (link to Kansas song: Dust in the wind)