I picked up some interesting gossip from a Texas Aggies site today. They were speculating on the Dude's latest realignment yarn about Virginia and Georgia Tech to the Big 10 and speculating on what would happen to the ACC. Yawn. That version was hashed and rehashed two years ago. But the interesting part of the rumor was that if the Big 12 broke up that Texas and a surprise team would be headed to the ACC. Now the Texas part is no new news either, but the sudden reversal of the SEC's position on B.Y.U. being a P5 school got me to thinking. N.D. is in the ACC as an all but football full member. What if B.Y.U. came with Texas as a football only member?

The ACC would have to open a Western Division to pull this off, but if they truly let N.C. State and Virginia Tech move to the SEC then the SEC could stop a 16 with the markets we want. The ACC could go to 16 full football member with a setup like this:

Baylor, Brigham Young, Texas, Texas Tech
Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami
Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, Wake Forest
Boston College, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia
*Notre Dame

That gives the ACCN two large religious followings for their network that would be nationwide. It gives them Texas as a market. And it costs them nothing off of their footprint. They are at 16 schools in all sports.

The SEC gets what they want.

Oklahoma and Kansas can head off to the Big 10 and ESPN gets a piece of that T1 Big 10 contract, can make and market a profitable ACCN, and enhances their value in the SECN. You have essentially three happy conferences. T.C.U. and Rice are there for taking for the PAC along with Iowa State and one of the remainders.

I just thought the idea might be worth some discussion.