Here's another alternative scenario for you all to ponder: Michigan makes a terrible mistake

As some of you might know, at the beginning of the 20th century Michigan had a decade long hiatus from Big Ten play after a disagreement over conference rules and played as an independent. But what if they would have tried to form "the Western Ivy League":

Michigan
Carnegie-Melon
Case
Western Reserve
Miami
Chicago
Northwestern
Washington U. (St L)

The Big Ten would be down to just 6: Minn, Wisc, Iowa, Ill, Purdue, Ind

They could rebuild one of two ways:

Option A: Ohio St, Mich St, ND, Pitt

Option B: Iowa St, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska

Either way, I'm sure that by the 40s, if not sooner, Michigan realizes that their academic powerhouse league can't cut it in sports and comes back, but without Northwestern and Chicago.

Option B would have the interesting consequence that the Oklahoma schools likely find permanent homes in the SWC, stabilizing that conference; Kansas St is left out; Colorado sticks with Mountain schools until at least the 2nd half of the century

Option A would create a real juggernaut, especially if Penn St accompanied Mich as the 12th member. Recall that Mich was a major obstacle for ND joining the B10