[CTcard]

First, Would the SEC and B1G merge, and set up a bidding war between ESPN and Fox?  Would serve the networks right; after all, they created this monster.

Second,Interesting that they bring up the Premier league.  Could you have a system of promotions and relegations between secondary conferences and the two big ones? I mean, Vandy and Indiana are both zeroes football wise who just happened to have a legacy attachment to the SEC and B1G, respectively.

BC

Anything is possible. But, it would have to be in enough folks' with power self interest for it to happen - it won't happen simply because some sports writer thinks it would be neat. 

I guess the merger is possible. Of course a 40-ish member conference isn't really a conference. But that is more or less the case anyways now, a conference is mostly just a media rights negotiation bloc. 
To happen, you'd have to get more total money out of the one network that wins that comes from the two networks combined. Not sure if the risk and amount of prime air time available makes that logical or not. 

As for different level conferences and relegation, whose interest does that serve? 
The football powers like having a few Vandy/Indianas around to boost their records. And the Vandy/Indianas desperately would not like to be relegated. I supposed any teams like Oregon that might get left out of a mega-conference and think they could win their way in would like it - but I don't see how they would have enough clout. 

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As for our situation, I think a rump-Pac 10 is a better situation than anything else on the table right now - except of course I don't really know what is on the table. [including whether a rump Pac 10 is an option, but really if it were minimally stable it would be better for UA, ASU etc. than joining the dregs of the Big 12]

[CTcard]

First, Would the SEC and B1G merge, and set up a bidding war between ESPN and Fox?  Would serve the networks right; after all, they created this monster.

Second,Interesting that they bring up the Premier league.  Could you have a system of promotions and relegations between secondary conferences and the two big ones? I mean, Vandy and Indiana are both zeroes football wise who just happened to have a legacy attachment to the SEC and B1G, respectively.

BC

Anything is possible. But, it would have to be in enough folks' with power self interest for it to happen - it won't happen simply because some sports writer thinks it would be neat. 

I guess the merger is possible. Of course a 40-ish member conference isn't really a conference. But that is more or less the case anyways now, a conference is mostly just a media rights negotiation bloc. 
To happen, you'd have to get more total money out of the one network that wins that comes from the two networks combined. Not sure if the risk and amount of prime air time available makes that logical or not. 

As for different level conferences and relegation, whose interest does that serve? 
The football powers like having a few Vandy/Indianas around to boost their records. And the Vandy/Indianas desperately would not like to be relegated. I supposed any teams like Oregon that might get left out of a mega-conference and think they could win their way in would like it - but I don't see how they would have enough clout. 

-----------
As for our situation, I think a rump-Pac 10 is a better situation than anything else on the table right now - except of course I don't really know what is on the table. [including whether a rump Pac 10 is an option, but really if it were minimally stable it would be better for UA, ASU etc. than joining the dregs of the Big 12]