According to longtime college sports radio host Greg Swaim, the Big 12 is the only conference that plans to use private equity -- only because the ACC doesn't have a "private entity large enough to make a difference."
As Swaim frames it, the SEC and Big Ten aren't even thinking about it because they don't need to use it to land any new schools.
"Two words... Private Equity," Swaim prefaced before saying, "The SEC and B1G won't use the nuclear option, because they don't need to. The ACC won't use it, because they don't have any private entity large enough to make a difference. The Big 12 will, because Brett Yormark has already been talking to several, both domestic and foreign. It will indeed make a huge different monetarily in what they can offer schools to join."
Big 12 interested in nearly the entire ACC
The Big 12 is seemingly planning to use the help of private equity firms to raid the ACC. Initially, the thought was that FSU and Clemson were the Big 12's main targets, but Swaim has heard that Yormark and Co. may be using the Noles and Tigers as leverage to get to Louisville, VA Tech, NC State, and Miami. Pitt and GA Tech have also been in conversations surrounding the Big 12. UVA and UNC have B12 interest but are likely to receive a Big Ten or SEC invite before the Big 12 could even be a factor.
That means the Big 12 is essentially interested in everyone from the ACC but the three new schools (SMU, Cal, Stanford), the NY/New England schools (BC, Syracuse), and Wake Forest. As Swaim points out, schools not hearing from the Big 12 may end up in a non-Power Conference.
"...if your ACC school isn't already having third party conversations with the B12, prepare to be in a non Power conference," Swaim wrote.
Too bad for SMU if that's the case. They'd make the most sense of any ACC school to be in the Big 12. As for the others? Building the ACC back up with schools from the AAC, and maybe Oregon State and Wazzu, isn't the worst idea.