[JonInMiddleGA]

Repurposing from my own social media (which is written for a more general audience that's less sports sophisticated than the one here, so don't take it that I'm talking down to anybody here m'kay)
--------------------------------

With the disintegration of the Pac-12 (10/9/7/TBD) several things come to mind

1) The Big 12 is kinda nuts if they offer anybody who isn't already on board a full TV share at this point

2) The Mountain West TV deal lasts another three years (two after the current season) and pays members around $4m each. Would the CBS/Fox combo prorate the deal by that amount for the scraps in a merger? I'm not sure doing so would be good business

3) The proposed "Coastal Conference" (or whatever) that would merge the remaining Pac teams with the existing ACC doesn't seem to do anything for the already struggling ACC. I'm pretty sure nobody is enthused by a random Virginia / Washington State matchup in any sport, nor does anyone smell money or ratings for Ga Tech vs Oregon State.

3b) Talking head Josh Pate explained things succinctly earlier this week when he noted that the two words you never hear mentioned in conference realignment discussions are "fans" and "athletes". The reason is simple: neither of those matter one bit to realignment. The only two things that matter are money and power.

Which is why I figure the least interesting possibility: merging the ACC and the shell of the Pac 12 will be the thing that eventually happens.