Even though they said they weren't expanding anymore, if the SEC goes to 14, the big 10 is going to shoot for 16.
The only way I see this happening is if they are fighting over the same teams. I have no doubt the big 10 will expand, I'm just not sure I see a race to get there.
The big 10 isn't going to make a move right away. There's a big chess match that needs to take place first, and the winner gets Notre Dame if they do it right.
Also, what the SEC values and what the big 10 values are two very different things. The big 10 wants academic fit and big TV markets. The SEC wants TV markets in the southeastern part of the US.
I personally think the only real battlegrounds for the two schools would be North Carolina and Maryland, and neither of those schools are really going to raise the value of your football portfolio.
The easiest path to 14 for the SEC will be Missouri and Virginia Tech, but I don't think Mizzou is all that interested. I think their preference is to wait until the end of time to get into the big 10 for academic reasons. And I don't think VT really brings a ton of value to your portfolio and will ultimately water down your total distribution dollars.
The SEC could very well hold off expansion for a couple of years to really get a good feel for who adds value. The big 10 won't make one single move unless they feel that Notre Dame is getting jumpy or the SEC is threatening to take someone they really want, and it doesn't sound like they're really going to bump heads.
