The problem with being away from a thread for so long is there is much to comment on.
As an upper midwesterner, I would say that the Midwest and the South both share a healthy dislike for New York City (which for our less cosmopolitan residents would be defined as all of New York state, New Jersey, and Connecticut), Boston (New England), and Philadelphia (well, that's probably just Philly). After that, it becomes more nuanced. Indiana fits in well with the Bible Belt, so I can see why someone from Indiana and living in North Carolina would see the connection (it is estimated that at its peak in the early twentieth century, thirty percent of adult males who had been born in Indiana were in the KKK). The upper Midwest is more of a mix of rust belt and natural areas (I am struggling to come up with a moniker for Wisconsin, Minnesota, and western/upper Michigan).
As a Wisconsin alum, I am a little offended by this. Not the "very good, but not playoff level," but being stacked alongside Ole Miss. I am not sure the right team to use, but Ole Miss seems wrong. Utah? Maybe. USC, Texas, or Penn State have not made the playoffs, but those also see wrong for the opposite reason. Honestly, Washington and Oregon would seem the most appropriate, but both have a playoff appearance, so I guess not.
Alright, back to the real topic at hand, I liked the 4 team not a pod, but its really a pod idea. I would be on board with Pitt, BC, Miami, and Stanford. Not being from the Northeast and with my attending Syracuse in the late-90s, Which means, I would like to play Miami annually, one of BC/Pitt, a traditional ACC school with my first preference being Duke, and Stanford.
SMU just does not move the needle for me. I am not convinced playing in DFW is going to specifically help recruiting Texas kids that have an option to stay in-state and play in the ACC, SEC, or XII. I do want to play annually in either Florida or California as I think the opportunity (especially if in the second half of the season) would be a selling point in getting kids to Syracuse when the negative recruiters are telling the kids about the winters.