re: What would be the best case scenario for the SEC?

Texas was a breath away from being the West team in the 1991 expansion. If The Texas state legislature can find a way to let UT and A&M split from the rest of the Texas programs, there is a chance they could both end up in the SEC. The dilemma for them is that the other Texas schools would wither on the vine of some new, second-tier, conference.