There is nothing to see here until they sort out the "playoffs."
If the SEC gets their "best 4 teams" model then FSU and Clemson may want to join our conference to make some extra money. Or they may not. Probably not.
But if the big 10 and Pac12 get their "conference champions" model, then FSU, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, and everybody else will all be begging to get into the Big XII.
We'll probably want to go to 12 and have a championship game. 14 is a pain in the ass.
Ira's right, that nailing down the championship structure is the next hurdle.
But, Clemson and FSU are coming, regardless, IMO.
Well, I think Florida State is, eventually. I think Clemson really wants to come.
I think the Big 12 wants Notre Dame and Florida State so we can stop at twelve.
What's going on with the SEC right now in terms of how they're dealing with 14 teams is pretty illuminating. They pretty much all hate it, except for MU and A&M, which is to be expected. And they're open about hating it. LSU is making a big stink about having to play Florida every year, and they make a good point about inequity. Why should they get the strongest program in the East (long-term) as an annual rival? Why does Bama get to beat up on Tennessee? Why does Arkansas get to beat up on Missouri? Assuming A&M gets better, who's to say So. Carolina will be any good after Spurrier leaves? The in-fighting that goes into those decisions drives a wedge in the conference. Considering where we've just come from, does the Big 12 want to jump right into that mess?
Bowlsby is a sharp guy. He knows how twelve is ideal for numerous reasons. If Dodds really feels like he can deliver ND in 2016, and Bowlsby can spend the next few years working on Swarbick (who is a friend of his) we'll sit on our hands until then. IMO, that was the real intent behind his "fraternity" remark and the reason why everyone hammered home the, "We're happy at ten," stuff. I don't think it was lawsuit driven. I think Neinas and Bowlsby have laid out what the future looks like and how those two open spots will look like golden Wonka tickets about five years from now, so everyone is content to wait.
If we let it play out for a few years, and let people see the financial impacts of the new system, we'll have people knocking on our door. No one knows how much the TV contract is going to be, officially, yet. No one knows how much money we'd get from a playoff cut. No one knows how much the SEC/Big 12 bowl game will be worth. If the LHN can take off, maybe a Notre Dame network can take off as well, which would make it even more likely they'll come here.
But it's going to take some time to work through all of this. FSU just got some unexpected money from the ACC that will cover their shortfall, and the playoff doesn't go into effect until 2014, so there's no immediate need to do anything. At this point, if I'm really being pragmatic about it, I think they just let this Big 12 stuff fester for another year, like A&M did, and then get serious next year.
And I said it earlier in the thread, and I'll say it again. I can easily see a scenario where we add FSU and go to an eleven team configuration for a couple of years until ND can join. If we really, really think we have a shot, we're going to wait it out. There's no need to bring Clemson in now. They aren't going anywhere. If Notre Dame passes and signs another long term contract with NBC, then we can go out there and grab them then.
