O-M-G, M-I-C,
You are clearly a college football fan. But your reading of the hopes, fears, motives, plans, and aspirations of these institutions qualifies as an "illegal formation."

You made some mention of media contracts without applying their considerable weight to your calculation. Early reports of the SEC deal (2023-24) indicate a per school payout of $70 - $75 million. The B1G starts a new contract a year later, which will likely match or exceed the SEC deal. The Big12, however, should expect to get a lowball offer from ESPN, Fox, or any other bidder. Why? Because the only two properties that the media companies really want are TX and OK. They will no longer pay P5 money to schools that can't enhance the advertising footprint. Lookin' at you, Lubbock, Ames. They may still want to include Kansas or W VA, but they want to pay G5 money for that content. Extracting the two plums from the Big12 is a positive for those two schools, the two dominant conferences, and the media companies. Politicians may raise hell, but it's going to happen.

Your point about the wealth of TX and OK is true. But if moving to the SEC or B1G will add $25 or $30 million (and growing every year), the administrators would be irresponsible to stand pat.

Only from the viewpoint of a football fan is the addition of Maryland and Rutgers a negative for the B1G. Those two schools made zillions of dollars for the B1G. Huge markets, huge student bodies, huge alumni bases, and somebody has to lose all those games to OSU, PSU, Mich, etc. Look it up... every year, every conference has a last place team. You also failed to mention the addition of Texas A&M to the SEC, an absolute monster athletic program in a wealthy school with great academics. Missouri needs to try harder.