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Comment, opinion
The AAC commissioner was as definitive as language allows saying that addition of WSU was a special case....a very strong BB addition that brings the league up to 12 schools. If...if...there is additional expansion it will FB schools. The old BE taught us the problems associated with mixing FB and BB-only schools, paraphrasing.
There are two obvious moves that would impact the conference scene, occurring individually or together. 1) Big 12 adding two or four schools; 2) One of the Power 5 conferences deciding that there would be substantial financial benefit by expanding from 14 to 16 schools. In the latter scenario most likely one power conference would poach schools from another, requiring action on the part of the conference losing schools.
For example, it's often said that FSU is not satisfied with the ACC and would prefer the SEC. Conferences have in place exit provisions making it hard to leave. Nonetheless, schools have moved between power 5 conferences. Such a move might forces the Big 12 to grow.
It would seem that geography pretty much excludes the PAC 12 from the picture. Whatever, even with all the speculation major moves since this madness began over a decade ago usually involved surprises. I'm betting that's the way it's likely to unfold again.
Another angle reflecting desperation on the part of have-nots would be legal action against the Power 5 cartel and TV companies which surely are affecting competition with significant adverse consequences for many public and private schools that play FBS FB. The State of Connecticut pursued that course when the ACC raiders first damaged the Big East...and at that time the "damaged" schools were still relatively strong financially. Their plight has deteriorated dramatically since then to the point that the impact on state finances has become significant.
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