You're right, the only "golden ticket" is to the P2. But, the ACC as a "power" is going to die either way. I don't think there's any question; the current iteration of the ACC cannot stand. In a conference where nobody wants to watch 85+% of the content being produced, there's just too much bad blood, and no way to keep everyone happy. A divorce is inevitable. Someone is going to leave in the next 4 years, and it's going to start a chain reaction that leads to implosion of the conference. In that instance, I think VT would be much better off in a Big 12 that consolidates all the remaining viable non-P2 football brands than it would be in a bastardized G5 basketball conference, which is what the ACC is going to transition into. Stated another way, the current makeup of the Big 12 with added VT, NCSU, GT, Louisville, Pitt, Miami, etc. would be vastly preferable to an ACC with no FSU, no Clemson, no UNC, and the football schedule filled primarily with SMU, USF, Tulane, Memphis, UConn, etc. So, right now? Yeah, there's no reason for any team to leave the ACC and go to the Big 12. But I don't think the status quo is going to make it another five years.