At this point, a merger is going to have to happen for that 3rd super conference. I think we end up with a P2 and a 3rd Wheel. It also looks like the B1G and SEC might be tapped out on expansion except for the possibility of Notre Dame. So, what happens with the ACC, Big XII and Pac-Whatever? Seeing that there will be no conferences that say "Yeah, we will stop existing so you guys can keep on keeping on", we are probably going to see some shuffling the next year or two before anything major. So let's look at the Little 3 remaining conferences. 1) The Big XII will not relent to being absorbed. It is trying to make power moves to add Pac 12 remnants in the Southwest. And probably failing, due to the ACC Network deals we keep hearing about. There will be no 3rd super-conference without Baylor, Oklahoma State, Kansas (hoops, I know), Cincinnati (versionLuke.Fickell), etc... So any moves the Big XII can make will be interesting to see. One problem the Big XII has is they keep adding "mid majors" to the "Power 5". Houston, TCU, BYU, Cincinnati, UCF... these teams are bad for the Elite Schools who want to hoard all their money from the Liberty's, ODU's, JMU's of the FBS world. Thus....the P2, Fox and ESPN are happening. I think ESPN's reticence to allow ND to go to the B1G, and interest in the ACC conflicts with the Big XII's plans, and thus I think we see some Alliance between the ACC, PAC 10 and ESPN, complete with a little more cash that keeps most parties satisfied and content. 2) ACC: That GOR is going to keep this league viable for another decade. The hope is that Jim Phillips has enough Big Ten in him to go snag the biggest fish he can. That would be Oregon, Washington and Stanford. Cal might be a package with Stanford. And I think we should add Utah (Salt Lake City market...AAU school!!) Interesting note regarding this: The ACC's recent football schedule change pairs very nicely with this addition of 5 Pac teams. We are now in a "Play 3 rivals, and rotate the rest phase". Well, adding 5 Pac teams fits that perfectly. Adding 5, means the ACC is at 19 members and if 1 team play 3 rivals, then there are 15 remaining ACC teams to rotate home/away matchups every two years. So we could add Oregon, Washington, Stanford, Cal and Utah to the 14 ACC teams we have now, and VT could play all 18 teams at home every 6 years. How's that for scheduling efficiency?? Hmm, Jim Phillips, were you planning on something happening that you needed to eliminate divisions??? (I know, I give too much credit) **Long Distance Complainer Alert** For any of you whining "Oh, that cross country trip to Eugene for softball in March will be terrible", just SHUT UP. First, these trans-American trips won't happen that much because, you know, existing ACC teams outnumber new Pac teams by like 3 to 1. Also, travel is worse for Pac teams, not ACC. For the same reason. Two, how often do you go to "local" games, like Miami, BC, Louisville, FSU, or Syracuse? If you make our current, "local" conference trips, fine, B&M all you want. But, I bet most of you don't. 3) Pac 12(10): This conference is dead. Their TV network is a shambles. They already need the ACC TV network. Think about that. All those Spurtle commercials. TAC Shaver. And THEY need US!!! HA! They are trying to negotiate a new TV deal when they are WEAK AS HELL. Why? So people in the Pac 10 office can have a job. That's about it. Stanford is gone as soon as ND goes to the B1G. Oregon and Washington are gone as soon as a nicer option shakes their tail feathers. USC and UCLA are already gone. DEAD. So....I think the ACC adds some Pac 10 properties (more valuable) and gets a $$ boost from ESPN. Not $100M, but enough to keep us all happy the next 6-8 years. Because we aren't going anywhere anyway! LOL! Thanks Swoff!!!! #UGH Then, I think the Big XII swoops and snags the southwest Pac 12 + Colorado (welcome back, you Big Beautiful Buffaloes!) Then we are at 4 conferences. The PAC 12 is fully consolidated, $$ redistributed and we go through another 4-6-8 year cycle that ends up with another shift. Maybe then the B1G and SEC swoop. And the ACC/BigXII pieces have to align. But I think it might end up playing out something like that.