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Why doesn't BIG 10 let Clemson in your conference ?

Ranking schools by highest non-zero chance of joining B1G:

UNC
FSU
Clemson
* huge drop *
Virginia
Utah
Colorado
* huge huge drop *
Notre Dame (they'll never join a conference and the CFP will always include teams outside the Power-2)

Everyone else: no chance
I'd put Clemson's chances at less than 5%. They aren't AAU, don't do enough research, and they don't bring a huge state population with them. I think their only chance is if they get drug along with another school - like if ND said they'd join if Clemson was admitted with them. (I know that won't happen - just using it as an example)

It's my understanding that when Texas was first considering leaving the Big 12 they reached out to both the BIG and the SEC to gauge interest. Texas stated they'd only move if Oklahoma came with them. Supposedly, the BIG said not a chance they'd add Oklahoma due to the quality of the school. So even if Clemson can try to ride someone's coattails - that doesn't mean it would actually work.
 
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I agree that Clemson is a long shot. Clemson academics are poor. USNWR Clemson #83, Iowa #93, Oklahoma #124, Nebraska #159 (wow).

Research rankings, Clemson is low. Oklahoma is higher presumably due to medical center.


Clemson is also a second banana in a small state.

But they've become a near blue blood and even before that they have averaged near 75k+ fans for decades.
 
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I'd put Clemson's chances at less than 5%. They aren't AAU, don't do enough research, and they don't bring a huge state population with them. I think their only chance is if they get drug along with another school - like if ND said they'd join if Clemson was admitted with them. (I know that won't happen - just using it as an example)

It's my understanding that when Texas was first considering leaving the Big 12 they reached out to both the BIG and the SEC to guage interest. Texas stated they'd only move if Oklahoma came with them. Supposedly, the BIG said not a chance they'd add Oklahoma due to the quality of the school. So even if Clemson can try to ride someone's coattails - that doesn't mean it would actually work.
I do believe all this eventual consolidation that will inevitably lead us back to.......where we f***ing were in the first place, regionally, but in the form of "divisions"..............will be very VERY gradual at this point, especially when you consider the ink on all these new contracts with these conferences and with the CFP expansion have barely finished drying.

I think the next step for the Big Ten is going to 20 teams at some point.

Florida State will be first in line when they leave. The Big Ten will not risk losing them to the SEC, unless they are absolutely certain that the SEC/Florida has NO desire to add FSU themselves, in which case I could see a reality where they turn a cold shoulder to FSU as well, and let them fade to the Big 12.

But right now, if Clemson is out of the picture, I think the only 4 teams that the Big Ten have in mind are FSU, Miami, UNC and Notre Dame, and that's really all dependent on how quickly all these teams are able to get out of their ACC contracts (and ND is ND).

Florida State- obvious first choice because they're the biggest name right now, most competitive, especially when you're talking the state of Florida. FSU to the B10 would be a huge power play for the conference to combat the SEC on their turf.......with that said,

Miami- I think the B10 would be foolish not to give a long, hard look at Miami if and when they ultimately leave the ACC. FSU unlocks Florida for the B10, but Miami guarantees the South Florida market, which is the biggest market in that state. Also, despite FSU having a slightly higher academic ranking, Miami is an AAU member, while the Seminoles are not.

UNC- this would be the next step, probably down the line, unless a bunch of teams all jumped ship at once. UNC's market has been valued by the B10, and that market value is only continuing to grow. Duke makes for an interesting conversation in that are those two a packaged deal or not. You'd hate to break off the greatest rivalry in CBB so that UNC can play Minnesota and Washington once a year while they collect a check from their football program...............but then again, arrangements can be made so that their rivalry is not entirely lost.

Notre Dane- this one is as obvious as it is inevitable. It doesn't matter that ND and the B10 have any shared dislike for each other. ND will either be forced to join the B10, or fall into the Big 12. They would be an absolute pariah if they joined the SEC, which they would only do out of their own spite for the B10, which isn't a worthwhile reason to join the SEC, but one you could see ND doing anyways if they were absolutely forced to join a conference.

I don't think ND would be willing to swallow their pride and go to the Big 12 with the other misfits, so the only (and best) fit for them is to eventually join the B10, once it becomes clear that they have to join a conference to continue to survive, whether it be by their choice or otherwise..............
 
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I agree that Clemson is a long shot. Clemson academics are poor. USNWR Clemson #83, Iowa #93, Oklahoma #124, Nebraska #159 (wow).

Research rankings, Clemson is low. Oklahoma is higher presumably due to medical center.


Clemson is also a second banana in a small state.

But they've become a near blue blood and even before that they have averaged near 75k+ fans for decades.
The thing that I always try to do is think like the presidents and not like the AD's. And the presidents at places like Michigan, Wisconsin, etc. generate/spend many times more on research than sports. Sports revenue is probably around $3 billion? for the conference - whereas the revenue the conference generates from research is well over $15 billion - might be closer to $20 billion in the coming years with the addition of the former PAC schools.

As fun as sports are - they don't compare to research for those in charge of the universities. The fact they have 75,000 fans in a stadium 7 times per years hardly moves the needle. That being said, it's the AD's that will likely propose the additions of schools - not the presidents. So having less-than-stellar academics/research isn't an absolute bar - it's more of a hurdle. Obviously if this was only about academics/research we'd have added Stanford and not Oregon.
 
I do believe all this eventual consolidation that will inevitably lead us back to.......where we f***ing were in the first place, regionally, but in the form of "divisions"..............will be very VERY gradual at this point, especially when you consider the ink on all these new contracts with these conferences and with the CFP expansion have barely finished drying.

I think the next step for the Big Ten is going to 20 teams at some point.

Florida State will be first in line when they leave. The Big Ten will not risk losing them to the SEC, unless they are absolutely certain that the SEC/Florida has NO desire to add FSU themselves, in which case I could see a reality where they turn a cold shoulder to FSU as well, and let them fade to the Big 12.

But right now, if Clemson is out of the picture, I think the only 4 teams that the Big Ten have in mind are FSU, Miami, UNC and Notre Dame, and that's really all dependent on how quickly all these teams are able to get out of their ACC contracts (and ND is ND).

Florida State- obvious first choice because they're the biggest name right now, most competitive, especially when you're talking the state of Florida. FSU to the B10 would be a huge power play for the conference to combat the SEC on their turf.......with that said,

Miami- I think the B10 would be foolish not to give a long, hard look at Miami if and when they ultimately leave the ACC. FSU unlocks Florida for the B10, but Miami guarantees the South Florida market, which is the biggest market in that state. Also, despite FSU having a slightly higher academic ranking, Miami is an AAU member, while the Seminoles are not.

UNC- this would be the next step, probably down the line, unless a bunch of teams all jumped ship at once. UNC's market has been valued by the B10, and that market value is only continuing to grow. Duke makes for an interesting conversation in that are those two a packaged deal or not. You'd hate to break off the greatest rivalry in CBB so that UNC can play Minnesota and Washington once a year while they collect a check from their football program...............but then again, arrangements can be made so that their rivalry is not entirely lost.

Notre Dane- this one is as obvious as it is inevitable. It doesn't matter that ND and the B10 have any shared dislike for each other. ND will either be forced to join the B10, or fall into the Big 12. They would be an absolute pariah if they joined the SEC, which they would only do out of their own spite for the B10, which isn't a worthwhile reason to join the SEC, but one you could see ND doing anyways if they were absolutely forced to join a conference.

I don't think ND would be willing to swallow their pride and go to the Big 12 with the other misfits, so the only (and best) fit for them is to eventually join the B10, once it becomes clear that they have to join a conference to continue to survive, whether it be by their choice or otherwise..............
I believe A&M has to be added as a potential candidate. They'd bring a huge state and very strong school academically. And of course they have a huge budget. Why would A&M leave the SEC? To separate themselves from Texas again. They don't want to be the smaller/less prestigious organization in the state. Moving to the BIG would add a lot to their academic prestige that the SEC doesn't provide. Back when A&M moved to the SEC - Texas minimized the move thinking they'd never be a peer as the Longhorns have always dominated the state. But moving to the SEC helped elevate A&M considerably. This would be the next bold move for A&M and it would be a huge win for them. That being said, their fans might hate the idea even if it would greatly benefit the university...
 
I believe A&M has to be added as a potential candidate. They'd bring a huge state and very strong school academically. And of course they have a huge budget. Why would A&M leave the SEC? To separate themselves from Texas again. They don't want to be the smaller/less prestigious organization in the state. Moving to the BIG would add a lot to their academic prestige that the SEC doesn't provide. Back when A&M moved to the SEC - Texas minimized the move thinking they'd never be a peer as the Longhorns have always dominated the state. But moving to the SEC helped elevate A&M considerably. This would be the next bold move for A&M and it would be a huge win for them. That being said, their fans might hate the idea even if it would greatly benefit the university...
I dunno. Complete geographic and cultural mismatch. Yes, you could say the same about UCLA, USC, Oregon and Wash....but their conference was imploding.
 
I dunno. Complete geographic and cultural mismatch. Yes, you could say the same about UCLA, USC, Oregon and Wash....but their conference was imploding.
I'd argue Washington and Oregon are more of a cultural mismatch with Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue, MSU, OSU, etc. than A&M. As a person that lived in Texas for a couple years, I found Texans to be more similar to the midwest than the coasts.

And I agree about distance, but Miami is 1200 miles to Indy, Oregon is over 2200 miles, and A&M is 995 miles. Just to put it in perspective - A&M is closer to Indy than the University of Washington is to USC and UCLA. FSU is 775 miles from Indy and I haven't heard anyone say that's a factor. So it seems as though distance isn't necessarily the top priority for the people deciding which schools to add (as crazy as that seems).
 
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I agree that Clemson is a long shot. Clemson academics are poor. USNWR Clemson #83, Iowa #93, Oklahoma #124, Nebraska #159 (wow).

Research rankings, Clemson is low. Oklahoma is higher presumably due to medical center.


Clemson is also a second banana in a small state.

But they've become a near blue blood and even before that they have averaged near 75k+ fans for decades.

Clemson is a very good university:

U.S. news #86 overall universities and #43 ranked public university. Calling it “poor” is just false.
 
I'd argue Washington and Oregon are more of a cultural mismatch with Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue, MSU, OSU, etc. than A&M. As a person that lived in Texas for a couple years, I found Texans to be more similar to the midwest than the coasts.

And I agree about distance, but Miami is 1200 miles to Indy, Oregon is over 2200 miles, and A&M is 995 miles. Just to put it in perspective - A&M is closer to Indy than the University of Washington is to USC and UCLA. FSU is 775 miles from Indy and I haven't heard anyone say that's a factor. So it seems as though distance isn't necessarily the top priority for the people deciding which schools to add (as crazy as that seems).
True. The West coast is geographically distant, but I'd suggest that was part of the B1G strategy in taking on those 4. With the PAC collapsing it made sense.

A&M currently belongs to the SEC. They don't need rescuing. I guess the whole AGGIE thing seems a bit non-B1G.
 
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Clemson is a very good university:

U.S. news #86 overall universities and #43 ranked public university. Calling it “poor” is just false.

We are comparing schools to the Big Ten, which is full of elite institutions. Compared to the rest of the B1G, Clemson is poor. I believe they only rank ahead of Iowa, Oregon, and Nebraska, at least in USNWR. Ranking 16th in the B1G in academics isn't something that will demand their expansion.

In the Times world university rankings, Iowa is in the 201-250 bracket, Nebraska 401-500, Oregon 401-500, Clemson unranked.

 
True. The West coast is geographically distant, but I'd suggest that was part of the B1G strategy in taking on those 4. With the PAC collapsing it made sense.

A&M currently belongs to the SEC. They don't need rescuing. I guess the whole AGGIE thing seems a big non-B1G.
If the BIG goal is to become a true national brand/conference - it definitely should target the states of North Carolina, Florida, and Texas. Not sure which state beyond those is worth targeting - to me those are the clear top 3.
 
We are comparing schools to the Big Ten, which is full of elite institutions. Compared to the rest of the B1G, Clemson is poor. I believe they only rank ahead of Iowa, Oregon, and Nebraska, at least in USNWR. Ranking 16th in the B1G in academics isn't something that will demand their expansion.

In the Times world university rankings, Iowa is in the 201-250 bracket, Nebraska 401-500, Oregon 401-500, Clemson unranked.


I agree that the B1G is loaded but I would never call a top 100 institution “poor.” What would you call one ranked 150 or 200?

Clemson is ranked #76 by Forbes and based on data in Money.com, it has a much higher ACT (30), SAT and lower acceptance rate (43%) than Iowa (as a comparison).


Based on USNews it would be 15/18 in B1G. I never said it should get a bid, but it’s a good to very good school. Most of the B1G schools are excellent to elite schools.
 
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Ranking schools by highest non-zero chance of joining B1G:

UNC
FSU
Clemson
* huge drop *
Virginia
Utah
Colorado
* huge huge drop *
Notre Dame (they'll never join a conference and the CFP will always include teams outside the Power-2)

Everyone else: no chance
You lose also credibility when you suggest clemson over Virginia
 
Based on USNews it would be 15/18 in B1G. I never said it should get a bid, but it’s a good to very good school. Most of the B1G schools are excellent to elite schools.

That is a whole lot of words to agree that they'd be near the bottom of the B1G. But, please, continue to argue semantics.
 
Two teams is all that is needed for the Big 10 at this time to go to 20 total teams. Then divide the league into 2 10 team divisions or 4 five team divisions which would give us two Big Ten Champ semifinal playoffs games. Four divisions give more teams a chance for the conference playoffs and more chance deeper into the season.

With an 18 team league and no divisions quite a few teams will be out of contention in the first 2 weeks of league play by going 0-2. In a five team division an early 0-2 record is not knocking you out of a division title, especially if the team was losing to big boy teams.
4 divisions:
"Barry", "Bo", "Hayden" and "Woody". Rotate the makeup if said divisions every 5 years, use NFL-style "results-based" scheduling.
 
I dunno. Complete geographic and cultural mismatch. Yes, you could say the same about UCLA, USC, Oregon and Wash....but their conference was imploding.
I guess it depends on what aspect of culture you mean. I'm not quite sure who else would be similar to TAMU in terms of culture. They're from another planet.
That is not surprising. They are proving they don't play well with others, why should either of the P2 add them?

Any school is a long shot at this point.
Yeah FSU would probably saunter into the B10 thinking they could dictate to everyone else. It wouldn't be easy to make it work. But they may not have a choice if ACC dies.

I wonder what the alternative would be for them? Would a "best of" B12 and ACC be enough to make a third superpower league? Or is it just a matter of time before the non-P2 simply fade away?
 
We should just bring in Harvard and Yale. They may control every board room dammit, but we will kick their ass on the field.
 
They and FSU would get beat on a regular basis in the B1G. They both don't want that. They want to be the big fish which is why this Big 12 stuff is probably true. It's a win win for all. Clemson and FSU stay big fish while the Big 12 stays relevant.

In the 31 seasons PSU has been a member of the BIG - their winning percentage is 69% - 12th among power conference schools. The 31 seasons prior to joining the Big 10 their winning percentage was 77% - 3rd among power conference schools. PSU's winning percentage over the 40 years prior to joining the conference was 2nd in the nation.

In the 13 seasons Nebraska has been a member of the BIG - their winning percentage is 50% - outside the top 50 among power conference schools. The 13 seasons prior to joining the Big 10 their winning percentage was 68% - which is top 15 among power conference schools. Nebraska had the highest winning percentage in the nation over the 40 years prior to joining the Big 10.

So there is certainly some credibility in what you are saying.
 
I don't think the B1G needs to add sh*t, but, for argument's sake, if the Big 2 keep on adding and the B1G were to go to a ridiculous 24 teams, I'd like to see:

Utah
Colorado
Notre Dame
Virginia
North Carolina
Duke

I'd change my mind if the B1G were actually able to raid the SEC, in which case I'd like to see aTm and Florida instead of the western teams.
 
LOL lets see your list and prove your credibility. I'm the only one to man up and rank them.

I've ranked them plenty of times. But the fact you think Clemson, which is No.2 in its own state and a crap school, is that high on the list shows you have little handle on the situation.

The number one thing is who adds TV sets. No. 2 quality of the school. Current football success means little - see Rutgers, Maryland, UCLA - and that is all Clemson brings to the table.
 
I agree that the B1G is loaded but I would never call a top 100 institution “poor.” What would you call one ranked 150 or 200?

Clemson is ranked #76 by Forbes and based on data in Money.com, it has a much higher ACT (30), SAT and lower acceptance rate (43%) than Iowa (as a comparison).


Based on USNews it would be 15/18 in B1G. I never said it should get a bid, but it’s a good to very good school. Most of the B1G schools are excellent to elite schools.

Clemson sucks. Even Clemson alumns will tell you that. Being ranked 83 sucks. It puts you near USF and Auburn. We are only lower cause US today punishes us for a crazy high admission rate. Clemson offers basically nothing in graduate schools which is how a quality of a school is determined. It's research programs bring in 588 million about 100 million behind us.
 
Clemson sucks. Even Clemson alumns will tell you that. Being ranked 83 sucks. It puts you near USF and Auburn. We are only lower cause US today punishes us for a crazy high admission rate. Clemson offers basically nothing in graduate schools which is how a quality of a school is determined. It's research programs bring in 588 million about 100 million behind us.
The national science foundation shows them at $263 million in research for 2022. Where did you get the $588 figure from?
 
The only way Stanford gets into the B1G at this point is if hell freezes over and Notre Dame decides to join and wants them in as #20. Cal has zero chance.
If the conference should expand beyond 20, I could see all three of them as members...along with FSU possibly.

As stated before, UNC and UVA are the top targets right now. The University Presidents want them bad.

Invitations in the next round will be 💯 AAU affiliation and education reputation domination.
 
If the conference should expand beyond 20, I could see all three of them as members...along with FSU possibly.

As stated before, UNC and UVA are the top targets right now. The University Presidents want them bad.

Invitations in the next round will be 💯 AAU affiliation and education reputation domination.
If they can't get or don't want FSU, Miami and Notre Dame, then being able to get Virginia and UNC would be the next best thing at least in terms of keeping some semblance of geographical balance in the conference.

The only problem is you'll have to continue with this dumb as f*** mega conference with no divisions format as long as you only have 4 teams sticking out like a broken toe on the west coast............ unless you wanted to go to two 10 team divisions, screw over the teams in the Midwest, and remove the whole point of adding teams like USC and Oregon in the first place, which was to be a bunch of b****es and cater to the other "top" teams in the conference so you get matchups like Ohio State/USC-Oregon, Michigan/USC-Oregon, Penn State/USC-Oregon all for TV ratings (and so they can lie about getting more appealing matchups that will bring fans back to the stadiums for live attendance).

Two division format w/UNC, UVA:
(West)
Washington
Oregon
UCLA
USC
Iowa
Nebraska
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Illinois
Northwestern

(East)
Indiana
Purdue
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Penn State
Maryland
Rutgers
Virginia
North Carolina
 
If they can't get or don't want FSU, Miami and Notre Dame, then being able to get Virginia and UNC would be the next best thing at least in terms of keeping some semblance of geographical balance in the conference.

The only problem is you'll have to continue with this dumb as f*** mega conference with no divisions format as long as you only have 4 teams sticking out like a broken toe on the west coast............ unless you wanted to go to two 10 team divisions, screw over the teams in the Midwest, and remove the whole point of adding teams like USC and Oregon in the first place, which was to be a bunch of b****es and cater to the other "top" teams in the conference so you get matchups like Ohio State/USC-Oregon, Michigan/USC-Oregon, Penn State/USC-Oregon all for TV ratings (and so they can lie about getting more appealing matchups that will bring fans back to the stadiums for live attendance).

Two division format w/UNC, UVA:
(West)
Washington
Oregon
UCLA
USC
Iowa
Nebraska
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Illinois
Northwestern

(East)
Indiana
Purdue
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Penn State
Maryland
Rutgers
Virginia
North Carolina
My personal preference for the next/final round of expansion...

1st phase to 20: UNC and UVA

2nd phase to 22:
FSU and ND
*if ND still holds out as an IND, or FSU is unable to attain AAU, then add Miami

3rd phase to 24: Duke and GT

**Stanford and Cal only as fallback options
 
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My personal preference for the next/final round of expansion...

1st phase to 20: UNC and UVA

2nd phase to 22:
FSU and ND
*if ND still holds out as an IND, or FSU is unable to attain AAU, then add Miami

3rd phase to 24: Duke and GT

**Stanford and Cal only as fallback options
At some point, they have to address the West coast, otherwise there's gonna be a massive imbalance to any further expansion the conference might go forth with.

But that's why it was idiotic to take them in, in the first place, and not look them in the eyes, instead, and tell them honestly, that what they are doing (breaking up the Pac 12) is both moronic and wrong for college athletics.......and that they should probably try to work things out themselves instead.


It's like a friend who encourages his buddy to get a divorce, rather than to work things out............and then later ends up dating his ex.
 
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AAU is clearly a key factor in the decision-making of the Big 10 presidents. With that in mind, here are the remaining power-4 conference schools that are AAU:

Duke
A&M
Virginia
Georgia Tech
Vanderbilt
Colorado
Arizona
Florida
Utah
Kansas
North Carolina
Texas
Mizzou
Notre Dame
Pitt
Arizona State
Cal
Stanford
Miami

(I know not all of these schools are realistic/potential targets - just posting for informational purposes)
Cal and Stanford were once seen as future targets. But those athletic programs are not financial juggernauts, and they don't bring anything that USC/UCLA don't.

Kansas and Utah are interesting targets. Kansas is investing into their football program finally, but they're long behind the curve. Utah is desperate for a B1G invite, they don't want to be in a league with BYU. So maybe if they continue raising their market value(television audience).

Notre Dame is a no brainer, but they won't join until they have no choice.

The SEC programs like Florida will never leave that conference. They are a founding member. A&M is interesting because they really don't want to be in a league with Texas. But I can't see them leaving the SEC. What's the upside?

North Carolina is an obvious candidate, much like Virginia. But they have a weird in state tie to the ACC.

Duke, Vanderbilt, Pitt, Arizona, ASU, and Colorado are in tier 2 of expansion candidates for the two Power leagues.

Georgia Tech and Miami are interesting options because of the cities and states they reside in. Atlanta Georgia and Miami Florida are huge hubs. You could build two P4 rosters with guys from those cities alone. Imagine planting a flag in Florida or Georgia.


But my line of thinking still leads me to believe FSU got noisy because of backroom chats with somebody in the B1G or SEC. I can't see them trying to get out of the ACC so they could join the Big 12. They are getting closer to an AAU membership, they've invested into their school the last decade with a concentrated effort of achieving that. Plus they are a huge land grant university.

Clemson jumped into the lawsuit months later. They seem like an SEC program, and South Carolina doesn't have the sway Florida does. Florida doesn't want FSU, South Carolina doesn't want Clemson in their league. In two years I think Florida will get their way, but South Carolina will not. So in my opinion that means FSU is B1G bound, and Clemson is SEC bound.

The ACC will probably pick up Oregon State and Washington State to pair with Cal and Stanford. But they have to keep Miami and North Carolina to survive imo.
 
I agree that the B1G is loaded but I would never call a top 100 institution “poor.” What would you call one ranked 150 or 200?

Clemson is ranked #76 by Forbes and based on data in Money.com, it has a much higher ACT (30), SAT and lower acceptance rate (43%) than Iowa (as a comparison).


Based on USNews it would be 15/18 in B1G. I never said it should get a bid, but it’s a good to very good school. Most of the B1G schools are excellent to elite schools.
Iowa pretty much accepts anyone that breathes. If its acceptance rate was say, 60-70% instead of 85%, it'd be a hell of a lot higher on the USN&WR list.

There was a time when Iowa was a fair bit choosier than it is now.
 
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FSU, Virginia, and UNC should be the top 3 targets. Then choose 3 from the following pool: NC State, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami, and Florida

You can rule out NC State and VT ...non-AAU schools, and I haven't heard anything recent about them close to becoming a member either. GT and Miami are definitely viable candidates. South Florida has a better chance of joining over Florida, because the Gators aren't switching conferences in our lifetimes.
 
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You can rule out NC State and VT ...non-AAU schools, and I haven't heard anything recent about them close to becoming a member either. GT and Miami are definitely viable candidates. South Florida has a better chance of joining over Florida, because the Gators aren't switching conferences in our lifetimes.
Yeah, Florida bolting the SEC for the B1G isn't likely (never say never, but I'd give it a less than 1% chance of happening) but along with the Texas schools (specifically UT and TAMU) it fits the mold for everything the B1G wants (quality academics, huge alumni bases, big media markets, fertile recruiting grounds).

Looking at the current ACC, I guess there isn't a whole lot to be gained by either the B1G or SEC when it implodes. UNC and UVA are academic powerhouses and have some decent recruiting grounds for the money sports so there may be some competition to gobble those up. FSU and Miami would also open up Florida to the B1G for recruiting purposes, but neither are the academic powerhouses that UNC or UVA are (but both are solid).

The Big 12 is quickly becoming the "P5 leftover" conference - it's already up to 16, and there's an increasing likelihood that in the coming years, there'll be some sort of B12/ACC merger. While excessive, it's probably not unrealistic to think that the B12 could expand to 24 teams - it'd likely target the Bay Area schools (Cal/Stanford), the Florida schools (FSU/Miami), and some combination of Mid/South Atlantic schools (UNC, Clemson, VT, UVA perhaps). This is of course assuming that both the B1G and SEC stand pat, which is possible but not guaranteed.

And if the B12 does go to 24, there could be 4 unofficial "pods" which means that each school gets to play 5 schools in its general geographic region each year. There'd be a "Pacific" pod of UofA, ASU, Cal, Stanford, Utah, and the Y. There'd be a "Plains" pod of Baylor, Colorado, ISU, KU, KST, and OKST. There'd be a "South Central" pod of Cincinnati, Houston, TCU, TTU, VT, and WVU, and there'd be an "Eastern" pod of Clemson, FSU, Miami, UCF, UNC, and UVA.
 
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