be a third "P" conference, call it the ACC or the B12, I don't think it really matters at that point. Here are a few reasons I think it will be the B12: When you add up Cuse, Wake, and BC - then add up Houston, Cincy, and UCF - the difference isn't so much their athletic past, but their potential. Cincy, UCF, and Houston are public Universities, and have a larger alumni base to draw on for attendance and ratings. The rest of the ACC after the top universities go, are just as strong, give or take a bit, as the rest of the B12. Last year, the total B12 viewership ratings were better than the ACC, with the ACC having more teams, and their top brands, including ND. Granted, the ACCN numbers are no where to be found, but it is what it is. If and when (it's still an if) the ACC loses their top brands, the 2036 media contract will be a tough row to hoe. Meanwhile, back at the flyover ranch, the B12 will have a new contract around 2030, and it should reflect the addition of the 4 corners which were not included in the last negotiation. Then, in all likelihood, they will get yet another contract around 2036. I'm making the assumption that both of those contracts will be more than the current one, and 2036 is a LONG time for the ACC to wait for a new contract in this environment of change. While there are no guarantees that the B12 will eclipse the ACC in distributions, the future for the B12 looks better than the ACC, even though the ACC has a better media deal today because of the ACCN. Not a dig, just my humble opinion. I think the ACC would be much better off not backfilling with G5 schools, except maybe UCONN, but if I remember correctly, you need 15 to satisfy the contract. Maybe the ACC can entice some B12 schools, but ND would probably have to be a big part of that. The uneven distribution system is another problem for the top B12 schools. Would they come into the ACC at the top of the distribution system, and start off making more money than those at the bottom? Or at the bottom? Frankly, I'm not sure how you sell that to a Utah, the Arizona schools, or any other University that you think could be a fit. No one at the top of the ACC food chain will take a financial hit to add any school, except maybe ND as a full time football member. The uneven distribution thing may actually have a Louisville or GT looking to the B12 in 2030 if they are making less than they are today. We just don't know how that plays out. I think you are dead wrong about the PAC. I also do not think the P2 has the appetite or the money to add 6-8 universities. The football brands are FSU, Clemson, and Miami. UNC is a brand in a category by itself, not just a basketball blue blood like Duke. The top of the ACC will find a home. The middle of the ACC will find a home. The bottom 4-6 are in serious trouble, and could find themselves in a PAC for football, and the Big east for basketball - which isn't all bad. CalFord and SMU will have to find a landing spot, and your guess is as good as mine where they land. Anywhere from the BIG to the AAC. An ACC with the privates and academics adding some more academics is probably my best guess, and the ACC will survive until 2036. At that point, a lot more unknowns will be known, and all of our predictions could be all for nothing.