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Realignment Reverberations: What Happens Throughout FBS (and FCS)?

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Didn't think this was worth a front page post, really, since it's not about Syracuse at all. But Bill Connelly and Steven Godfrey's conversation on the full-scale reverberations of a four-team Big 12 expansion got me thinking a bit. The fallout from this round of realignment (2010-present) has been pretty far-reaching already. But the Big 12 adding four in what's likely the last power conference life raft for some time will set off a mad scramble down the line.

We start with the hypothetical additions:

The Big 12 adds BYU (independent), Cincinnati (AAC), Houston (AAC) and Colorado State (MWC) to form a 14-team league.

The other conferences would look like this in the immediate aftermath (with the league's search status in parentheses):

ACC: 14 (staying)

Big Ten: 14 (staying)

Pac-12: 12 (staying)

SEC: 14 (staying)

AAC: 10 (looking)

C-USA: 14 (staying)

MAC: 12 (staying)

MWC: 11 (looking)

SBC: 10 (looking)

Hypothetically, the AAC would move first, then the MWC, and so on down the actual/perceived conference strength line...

AAC

Adds Georgia Southern (Sun Belt), Western Kentucky (C-USA), Rice (C-USA) and UMass (independent) to get to 14 teams.

MWC

Adds UTEP (C-USA) to get to 12 teams.

C-USA

Adds Georgia State (Sun Belt), Arkansas State (Sun Belt) and James Madison (CAA) to get to 14 teams.

Sun Belt

Adds Eastern Kentucky (Ohio Valley), Richmond (CAA) and Liberty (Big South) to get to 10 teams.

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Despite the Sun Belt's improvement over the last few years (surpassing C-USA, really), they're still a bit below it in terms of membership cache, especially once Georgia Southern leaves. C-USA is not without its issues, however. In this hypothetical, Marshall, Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion all discuss MAC membership before standing pat.

Obviously this has effects on the FCS as well. Four FCS schools elevate here, leaving those leagues (CAA, Big South, OVC) looking to backfill. Also, without a Mountain West invite, New Mexico State accepts its fate and heads to the Big Sky. Some of the other potential moves:

CAA

Adds Dayton (Pioneer), Davidson (Pioneer) and Fordham (Patriot League) as football-only members. Adds Charleston Southern (Big South) as a full member, to get to 14 teams.

Patriot League

Adds Marist (Pioneer) to get to eight teams.

SoCon

Absorbs four remaining teams in Big South (Monmouth, Kennesaw State, Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian) to get to 13 teams.

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That's the cleanest way this could all shake out, of course. Plenty of messier, less linear ways for the whole thing to just continue to churn schools into new locales. Who knows if the Big 12 adds four. Or if the MWC doesn't convince North Dakota State to jump up. Or if the Sun Belt or C-USA is even capable of luring teams to their leagues at this point.

Obviously the above is all for fun, and based on very little fact. Anyone have other ideas on how this goes? Share below.