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I read that UGA's game at UK last season was the coldest game UGA had ever played in.

Georgia Football fans will need to bundle up for Saturday's game vs Kentucky - Sports Illustrated Georgia Bulldogs News, Analysis and More
Georgia Football fans will need to bundle up for Saturday's game vs Kentucky - Sports Illustrated Georgia Bulldogs News, Analysis and More

I went to the Tech game in 2021 with my daughter in Athens and that was cold, about 38°F and spitting rain off and on.  I dimly recall some night games at UK back in the day that were below freezing though.

What would you do if you had to get to 24? Keep in mind you also have to beat the SEC to the punch.

The idea of a 24 team conference makes no sense to me.

First, scheduling:

• Even 16 is close to two conferences but anything beyond that is really two conferences. In this thread there is talk of 11-game schedules, no x-over, and a CG. I don't like that for a whole host of reasons including:
• With zero x-over games you literally NEVER play opposite division teams other than possibly in the CG.
• 11 league games only leaves room for one OOC game which means no more marquee OOC games.
• Schools with an OOC rival are screwed because they'd have no variation at all, the schedule would be the same 11 divisional teams and their OOC rival.

The second reason is hinted at in your question. If we "have to" get to 24 then we "have to" add eight beyond the SoCal twins and that limits our flexibility and ability to be picky.

As @Mdot21 said above I ONLY want to add schools that add enough to the product to INCREASE the size of each share.

All of that said, if I were in charge and instructed to go to 24, I'd want to add:

• UVA, Contiguous state, great academics, great BB, possibly a sleeping giant in FB, close to DC where the research money is distributed. VaTech would be an alternative but I would NOT be interested in both. Flagship school in a fast growing state.
• UNC, Contiguous state (once you add #1), great academics, great BB, FB is decent. Flagship school in a fast growing state.
• USCe/Clemson, I haven't researched either enough to know which one has the best research and long-term fan support. Again, one not both.
• Washington, close to the SoCal twins and #5, great research $$, overall good athletics. Flagship school in a populous (#13) state.
• Stanford, great research $/academics, a foothold in the populous bay area, a good travel partner for the SoCal twins and #4.
• Miami, academics are very good despite the black eye that their "outlaw" football program has been, in the hottest recruiting area in the country, near a lot of existing B1G fans.
• FSU, eh
• GaTech, because it makes #6/7 contiguous and they are a very good school in the enormous and fast-growing ATL metro. Fast growing state.

I really don't like taking FSU and GaTech because we'd be an obviously junior partner to the SEC's UF and UGA in those states. Miami, I think, is somewhat different because they are so far away from Gainesville that the old "State of South Florida" thing isn't without merit. I do not know, however, if Miami has the graduate/research programs to be a viable target or if they are like Notre Dame with great undergraduate academics and Community College level research.

Speaking of Notre Dame, I did NOT include them and I should address that since I'm probably the only one who thinks this way but there are a number of reasons including:

• Like a lot of people, I loathe ND. That is actually a reason to take them. From a ratings perspective we don't care if viewers are rooting for or against our teams, we just want them watching. That said, the reason I can't stand them is their wanting to be "special" and non-aligned. Once they are in a league, that goes away and I'd see them as no different than any other team in the league and
• We already have two teams in Indiana and frankly that is one too many given Indiana's population
• As America becomes less religious in general and less Christian specifically, the Catholic/Protestant divide becomes less relevant and therefore interest in Notre Dame's athletics will likely continue to wane. Ie, there is no question that it is a valuable brand now, but I think we'd be buying at the top.
• Their research is pathetic. I really don't mean that to pick on them, it just isn't their focus. It IS the academic focus of our schools.

You might not want to add only powerhouse programs anyway, except for the money thing, so many GaTech is not an awful choice.

My issue with GaTech is not wanting to be second fiddle (to the SEC/UGA) in the state of Georgia. 

OTOH: Georgia is a very populous and fast growing state. They are up to #8 behind only:

• CA
• TX
• FL
• NY
• PA
• IL
• OH

If the 2010-2020 growth/(shrinkage) percentages replicate in the 2020's and 2030's then Georgia will be 6th in the 2040 census and if they replicate again in the 2040's then Georgia will be #5 in the 2050 census behind only the big four.

Pecking order of ND, ACC, Big 12, PAC

1. ND
2.  UNC
3.  Wash
4.  Florida St
5.  Col
6.  Ore
7.  Miami
8.  Va
9. Clem

I'd rank it:
1 - ND
2 - Miami
3 - UNC
4 - UVA
5 - FSU
6 - Wash
7 - Clemps'n
.
In the FSU vs Miami thing, one is in THE most fertile recruiting grounds in the nation and the other isn't.  Though the panhandle IS still Florida, it's not Miami-Dade/Broward.  But being in FL is big, so that's why UCF should be much higher on the list.  

How would GT not just be another Purdue?  

More like Rutgers. Just a TV market.

Ah.
I was going with the engineering/lack of recent success bit.  
I guess the Boilers did make it to Indy, so that counts for something.