I like the ACC merger idea. It's the only solution for both conferences.
The PACC...Pacific atlantic coast conference.
4 big conferences have been a long time coming and the play off model expedited the process. It's just logical. 5 is a weird number for sports and how things organize.
With the exception of Texas and Oklahoma, it's hard for most programs west of the Mississippi to get the exposure to the sports, specifically football markets...but even they decided to slide over...Cornhuskers now seem like visionary pioneers.
Same goes for East Coast teams. See Rutgers and Maryland. Now the east coast has all the population, but what did they do, they slid west, and other programs are seriously considering the same thing.
I think it's probably more business than political. There's just more money to be made in sports and media when you're playing in the middle America market so to speak.
It's also not only a positive for the new programs who are sliding over, but the programs already in.
USC vs Ohio State and Michigan regularly...Texas and Oklahoma v Bama, LSU, UGA...throw FSU and Miami into one of those mixes...come on now...
Then the trickle down from that. IU playing in LA and UK playing in Austin...folks that's a game changer.
First from an exposure standpoint to different recruiting pools when playing at those places. Lot's of talented youth in LA probably never seen IU in anything who won't get a sniff from Oregon, Bruins, or Trojans but they get a little taste and want to play big10 football...
UK gets to play Longhorns in front of Texas talent whether it's at Austin or when they play here and all the kids who watch longhorn football now are seeing UK and the stadium packed with blue and white. I don't think people fully appreciate that opportunity. 3-star talent in that state is 4-5 star anywhere else except Florida.
Then economically for Lexington when Texas and Oklahoma rolls in. Folks, Sooners took over campus and the town for a Softball game about two years ago. It was nuts...softball.
Imagine what they're going to do for football.