First of all, the Big 12 is not going to expand. The studies apparently show that the available expansion candidates don't have enough profile to float the existing boats higher. One highly viewed game and a bowl win aren't going to change anything.

Second, the remark about Iowa State and Kansas State not only reflects poor social judgment, it reflects a lack of knowledge. Sure, Orlando and Tampa are bigger markets than probably the whole state of Iowa and Kansas. The difference is that people in Iowa and Kansas actually watch the Cyclones and Wildcats. They buy tickets. The ACC approach of buying into large markets is not going to persistently succeed as time goes by because sooner or later there will be a viable model that sells television to people who want it instead of forcing it on people who don't. Knock Iowa State all you want, but Iowa State has a stronger fan base than half to two thirds of the ACC.

Furthermore, it takes more than a couple of games to build a national brand. UCF is not yet Boise State, and - by the way - look how quickly the country forgot about Boise State. So long as reasonably successful, small market schools like Virginia Tech and West Virginia and Mississippi State have a place in the P5, they are going to have a much bigger brand than UCF. They already have more of their own fans spread across the country, and more neutral observers are interested in watching them. Neutral folks are going to watch UCF only when UCF gives them reason to be curious and plays in a big game.

Personally, I think the Big 12 has the right model. Ten teams that play round robin in football and basketball leads to great, equitable competition. West Virginia is a geographic outlier, but it gets Texas or Oklahoma to play football in Morgantown every year and never goes a year when its fans get shorted out of seeing Kansas come to town for a basketball game. I know it's not possible, but if there was a way to start over and wind up with six or eight 10-team conferences (or 9-team conferences, which might be even better), with each conference loosely paired up with another conference for marketing and scheduling purposes, that's the way to go.
[Post edited by Tailgate Guru at 01/11/2018 09:38AM]