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You may have noticed: The SEC and Big Ten are a Notre Dame (or so) away from staging their own playoff. Maybe they don't even need the Fighting Irish, who are again deciding whether to join a conference after 130 years of independence.
What you can see is access and relevance slipping away for all but the elites -- and those lucky enough to be in their conferences. Certain ACC schools are freaking out. They are looking at being $50 million per year behind the SEC and Big Ten in annual rights fees.
...The battle now is to see whether one or more of the ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 can amass enough notable programs to keep the SEC and Big Ten from staging a credible playoff on their own.
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The Big 12 has been told by TV rights advisors that the two most important considerations for expansion are brand and geography. Geography pushed Oregon and Washington to the margins. (That doesn't mean the likes of Arizona and Arizona are necessarily "brands.")
If the Big 12 expands, it wouldn't necessarily be for money but rather survival and relevancy.