Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

https://247sports.com/college/oklahoma/Article/Big-Ten-targeting-Oklahoma-Sooners-Texas-Longhorns-125965141/

Big Ten / FOX rumored to be targeting the 2 big boys of the Big 12 at the end of their GOR in 2025.

And that's why I like 5+1+2... In that scenario where OSU beats Bama but misses out on their CCG due to a single tiebreaker loss in their division, they are probably in.

If it's conference champs ONLY, then they don't. Which is why I don't support conference champs only.

5+1+2 can give you an incentive to schedule tough OOC because it gives you a shot at that "signature win" that puts you into the CFP even if you don't win your conference. And it removes the disincentive of scheduling tough OOC because that loss won't keep you out of the CFP if you do win your conference.

While I still would prefer a Champions only playoff, I could get behind this idea for the benefits that you mention. I think it does provide the best of both. 

Bye-bye, Baylor.

I always wonder when I hear that scenario about WVU being the odd man out.  We don’t have any big brother in-state school to ride on coattails.  Small state, not a huge TV market.  No long time affiliation with any one conference.  Very little in-state talent to draw from so it isn’t a recruiting base someone would want to tap into. Solid football and basketball tradition but not blue blood in either where a conference is dying to add that brand.  Doesn’t have the academic reputation of some other high level football playing schools.  Not an AAU member.  Carnegie does now classify WVU as a Tier I research institution but I don’t know in the grand scheme of things how relevant that is.
I have no idea if it will ever come to that but if it does I can WVU being one of the handful looking for a seat at the table.

Rutgers is TERRRIBLE at essentially every NCAA sport. Except basketball. Where it's merely average or somewhat below.

I thought what was very note worthy, and got glossed over was when Delany was asked more or less regrets about Maryland/Rutgers because of their competitiveness level, and rather than even try to defend Rutgers.  He basically said "don't lump them together, Maryland has been fine."  He's right, Maryland has been very good in basketball and the Olympic sports.  It's only a football-only view (which isn't totally irrational because football is the only SPORT driving any of these moves) but it's the wrong view.
I don't know where you pulled Rutgers being as good as average or slightly below average at basketball from.  You mean women's basketball?  I think they were ok at women's basketball for a little while.  Because they have been awful at men's basketball.  They haven't made the NCAA Tourney since 1991.  They haven't won a tourney game since 1983.  They haven't even been to the NIT since 2006.  They have a 9-65 Big Ten record over their 4+ years in the league, and have never finished anywhere but 14th.  I would argue their football program has actually been SLIGHTLY better than their men's basketball program.  They at least have a (Big East) conference title as recently as 2012, and went to bowls 9 of 10 years from 2005 through 2014, which includes their first Big Ten season.  Their 7-36 conference record (.163) is actually slightly better than it is in basketball (.122)

I can attest to having spent (wasted?) hours upon hours of what-if realignment scenarios over the course of my life.  It's part of the reason I can draw out the lower 48 states free-hand really well.  It's super nerdy.



But when it comes to the 16x4 model, WV is never left out.  The "fringe" schools are always Baylor, TCU, Iowa State, or Kansas State.
Baylor - more so now, with the scandal(s)
TCU - what are they without Texas?
Iowa State - AAU member, but no nobody's radar
Kansas State - what are they without Snyder?



Other schools would be on the fringe, too, except they've been where they've been for awhile, or they have special non-football strengths.
Kansas - basketball
Wake Forest and Vanderbilt don't really belong, but they're grandfathered in.  If it was all restarted from scratch today, they'd be FCS at best.  

Whether you're a fan of theirs or not, you have to give all respect to TCU.  They were dropped like a bad habit in 1994 with Rice, Houston, and SMU.  It took them nearly 20 years, but they clawed back up to be at the big-boy table once again.  It's impressive.



They could be Rice today.  But they're not.

I will say, if Texas and OU wait too long on their sinking ship, the SEC and B10 will go ahead and invite the Pitt/UNC/UVA/VT/NCST/OKST/KU's of the world and the Sooners/Horns are going to be left holding their d---ks in their hands.