For a long time, the loud crowd asserted that 'the plan' was to have 4 Power/Major conferences, each with 16, or perhaps only 14, teams. Now that same loud crowd is arguing that there will only be 2 Major/Power Conferences: SEC and Big Ten, and each will have 20 or maybe 24 members.
I think the SEC would be happy for things to stand as now arranged, because the SEC adding OU and UT will become richer tan the 14 member BT and be even more overwhelming in football. But the BT is not going to accept that. The BT worships money and what money can deliver far more than it wants to win at sports. There is no 2 team addition that can both get BT money definitely back above what the next SEC deal will bring and secure more football talent and quality for the BT. So the BT almost certainly is now plotting how to expand to 20, possibly 24. Because the SEC knows the BT, the SEC also is planning moves to match any BT moves, meaning the SEC also is thinking about expanding to 20, possibly 24.
ESPN can stop that process dead in its tracks in EST by paying the ACC what it is worth. The ACC has the 3rd largest number of TV viewers for football (after SEC and BT) and the 2nd largest for basketball (behind the BT) but gets paid worse than even the Pac, which is a far distant #5 in TV viewers for both revenue sports. If ESPN does not do that, the BT is going to act sooner rather than later, which guarantees that the SEC also will act sooner rather than later.
Fox and ESPN could both pay the Pac what it is worth, which is far less than it now gets, which would surely mean that the BT thinks very hard about adding 6 Pac schools. If the BT could get CA (SC, UCLA, Cal, and Stanford), Oregon, and Washington, the BT could maximize the value of those schools while adding a lot of football talent to the BT footprint. It would make no sense geographically, but it would boost the BT ego.
Even if the BT made that move, the ACC would not be safe if ESPN refuses to pay it what it is worth.
