A note of consequence for readers of this thread.

Alabama, Auburn, and Mississippi State are now all R1 Carnegie schools making every member of the SEC R1 Carnegie schools.

Also being added to the ranks of R1 Carnegie schools is Oklahoma State. That means the academic objections to the Cowboys would now be nullified. Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State are all R1 and Texas is also AAU.

I think this opens up options a wee bit with regard to which schools from the Big 12 might ever be considered for membership. Only T.C.U. and Baylor from the Big 12 now fail to be R1 schools, while the only other P5 conference with a member not in that designation is the ACC where Wake Forest is not R1.