(08-13-2013 09:09 AM)He1nousOne Wrote: You already know mine.
Let's see. KU and OU to the Big 10, Texas as a hybrid with two tag alongs to the ACC in Baylor and T.C.U., West Virginia and Oklahoma State to the SEC. And Iowa State, KState, and Texas Tech to the PAC, plus a West Coast team. Which is also a very plausible scenario under the present conditions.
With all the leaks about who is talking to whom right now, I still find it hard to believe that any conference is trying to lure one of the remaining prospects all on their own. It seems to me that nothing gets done now without consensus and that we are going to enter a few months now of little to no news other than more of these so and so is talking to so and so stories. The "talking to" leaks are just the negotiation process working itself out as the parties try to come to some agreement of how to wrap this thing up.
The reason I put "the Big 12 gets absorbed" at the top of my list is that Texas and Oklahoma don't have compelling schedules for their fans. Nothing against the other 7 football first schools of the Big 12 but outside of the RRR there are no must see games. OU/OSU is the distant second plumb game. Therefore with nobody that moves the needle for them expansion wise, a tiny disjointed footprint, and still inequity in member earning potential all coupled with the fact that their earning potential is maxed out while at least three maybe four other conferences around them still have a fairly nice upside in their potentials and I just believe they have no other option that is both profitable and provides them with more compelling scheduling than to be absorbed.
Because of this what I would prefer for the SEC and what you would prefer for the Big 10 both seem to be likely with one exception in both cases. If Texas goes to the ACC there are only 2 national brands, one regional brand, and two highly profitable schools left to help with the division. I don't think that the Big 10 or SEC will land two of the national brands. The PAC is going to insist upon one of them.
I think the Big 10 gets Kansas. I think the SEC gets one of the regional brands in West Virginia and then one of the two remaining highly profitable schools (Oklahoma State and Kansas State). I think the PAC gets Oklahoma and as we both agree three other central time zone money making opportunities. But don't be surprised if Texas goes to the ACC if one of the two that go with them is not from the Big 12. For another academics boost the Horns might take either Rice or Tulane with them. While I give that less of a % of happening than Texas taking two Big 12 schools with them I still consider it to be a possibility. Especially if you consider that Tulane would be a bridge of sorts between Texas and Florida for the ACC schools. It will be fun to see how they work this out.
As far as Vandiver's viewpoint on the Big 12 staying put and expanding, that scenario would probably help the upper tier more by accommodating the extra schools necessary to keep the profile of winners and losers closer to what it is today and it would be a huge boon to ECU and South Florida fans and to Cincinnati. But I'm afraid the networks won't go for it as easily as the 64 team model. But again it may be what would be best for all, but we'll see.