As we move into the next round of Media contracts with the SEC set to move to at least a per team payout of 65 million (based on our 44.6 million payout for this past year). I have to wonder if the Big 12 is the only conference truly vulnerable in 2024-5 or whether the ACC facing gaps of up to 30 million in media revenue with the SEC and Big 10, which will also be sporting a new media contract, will have a significant number of schools that might like to have the opportunity to be counted among the members of either of those conferences rather than the ACC. Almost 400 million in media payouts over the next 13 years before the ACC gets to renew their existing contracts has to be pause for concern of even their core founding schools.

Would the balance for the future of college sports not be better served if the SEC and Big 10 grew out of the ACC and the Big 12 was strengthened with their key sports schools?

Let the SEC and Big 10 move to 16 members out of the ACC but without touching the key programs of Clemson and Florida State.

What if the Big 10 expanded practically with an addition of New York school and former AAU member Syracuse and added Notre Dame shoring up their advertising advantage in many key Northern Midwestern and Northeastern cities?

What if the SEC picked up the states of Virginia and North Carolina with UNC and Virginia? These are great academic adds for the SEC and strong basketball brands and they add 20 million to our existing footprint.

And what if the Big 10 did take basketball giant Kansas from the current Big 12 during their GOR expiration? Would the Big 10 be well served to pick up such a brand? Especially if they added Virginia Tech to go with them picking up that market and a large land grant school which is closer to AAU membership than an Oklahoma?

And what if the SEC added T.C.U. to have a presence in the DFW market and added Duke to pick up another basketball blueblood?

The Big 12 would then have 8 members: Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, and West Virginia.

They could pick up Louisville, Boston College and Pittsburgh and add them to West Virginia.

They could pick up Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina State as well.

Miami could be added to Baylor, Texas and Texas Tech to create a cross Gulf division.

Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would make up the rest of the 16.

If they wanted to grow further they have Brigham Young and Wake Forest to consider.

The ACC is completely absorbed. The old core gets the doubling of their sports media revenue. Notre Dame, Syracuse and Virginia Tech have theirs doubled as well. Kansas gets a substantial raise as does T.C.U..

The addition of the football first schools of the ACC to the current Big 12 not only gives them the market penetration they need but also creates content value which drives up their revenue as well which is already higher than that of the ACC.

Everybody wins and not having Texas and Oklahoma headed to the Big 10 or SEC actually preserves a kind of balance within the college football upper tier.

Whether the PAC makes additions or not everyone is provided for.

With three 18 member conferences and the PAC remaining at 12 we move from a 65 member P5 to a 66 member P4 and now the CFP can become a champs only affair.

If ESPN acquires all of the rights to the Big 12 they make more money from the product and their loss of 51% of the access to Virginia Tech and Syracuse is easily offset by their 100% access to Texas and Oklahoma. Kansas is slightly over a 50% product for them now so no major change happens there, and Notre Dame is only a 5/12ths product of ESPN so not a great loss there either.

If the ACC schools want to play catch up in media revenue this is the most comprehensive and productive way to do so.

SEC:
Duke, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia
Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Arkansas, Louisiana State, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas A&M, T.C.U.

B1G:
Maryland, Notre Dame, Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue
Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Wisconsin

Big 12:
Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, Wake Forest
Boston College, Iowa State, Kansas State, Louisville, Pittsburgh, West Virginia
Baylor, Brigham Young, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech

PAC 12:
Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, California Los Angeles, Southern Cal, Utah
California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington, Washington State


Now wouldn't that 66 as it is comported make a great deal of geographical sense where divisions were concerned and give us a really solid 66 schools in a new upper tier?