[msqueri]

I think it may end up being survival of the fittest but just as (if not more) likely to be self-selection as it is to be conferences picking who to exclude. If schools want to play ball in the super conference game they will but some of those fringe teams you mention may not be viable economically, values-wise (depending on what the model ultimately looks like, etc.). I also think the sorting could end at 48 or 50 something or 64 rather than 42, and it could take a few decades to settle. Ultimately I think it may be more about hierarchy and commitment to major college sports than about the old considerations of how/why to constitute a conference.

Regarding Big 10 calculus regarding Oregon and Washington, uncertainty about the quality and/or longevity of their brands may be exactly why the Big 10 isn’t in a hurry. The smart thing is to wait for Notre Dame and go from there.

[msqueri]

I think it may end up being survival of the fittest but just as (if not more) likely to be self-selection as it is to be conferences picking who to exclude. If schools want to play ball in the super conference game they will but some of those fringe teams you mention may not be viable economically, values-wise (depending on what the model ultimately looks like, etc.). I also think the sorting could end at 48 or 50 something or 64 rather than 42, and it could take a few decades to settle. Ultimately I think it may be more about hierarchy and commitment to major college sports than about the old considerations of how/why to constitute a conference.

Regarding Big 10 calculus regarding Oregon and Washington, uncertainty about the quality and/or longevity of their brands may be exactly why the Big 10 isn’t in a hurry. The smart thing is to wait for Notre Dame and go from there.