Worst case for SEC: All the major AAU universities end up in Big Ten

With USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten, the Big Ten has 15 AAU members wih only 18 AAU members in a Big 5 conference that are not in the Big Ten:

GA Tech, Duke, UNC, Pitt, UVA (ACC), Stanford, Arizona, Oregon, Cal, Colorado, Utah, Washington (Pac 12), Florida, Mizzou, Texas, Texas A&M, Vandy (SEC), Kansas (Big 12) are the 18 left.

Imagine the following scenario as a worst case: ND joins the Big Ten and The Big Ten adds all or most of the remaining AAU schools from the Pac 12: Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.

To bridge the East/West divide they also add AAU member Kansas.

Now the Big Ten has 23 AAU members (25 total with Nebraska and ND). The Pac 12 ceases to exist and we have 10 AAU members not in the Big Ten.

Now the ACC is the next domino. AAU members UVA, UNC, Duke, and GA Tech join the Big Ten with Pitt being left out.

Now the SEC has a problem. We are surrounded on all sides by an extremely powerful Big Ten and we have 5 AAU members feeling isolated and left out academically with all the other AAU schools in the Big Ten. Mizzou, A&M, Texas, and Florida bolt for the Big Ten. Vandy is left out. Nebraska is kicked out of the B10 as the only non-AAU member that isn't Notre Dame. The Big Ten is now a 28 team monster with virtually every major AAU athletic program as a member, and every major media and recruiting market in the country including TX, California, and Florida.

The 2 superconferences become complete with the SEC making up its loss of 4 teams by adding non-AAU schools FSU, Clemson, NC St, and VaTech. The SEC is still a solid conference, but now to keep up with a 28 team Big Ten (which splits into two 14 team East/West pods), the SEC has to add some less desirable options like Miami, Nebraska, Louisville, WVU, a Texas team (TCU, Houston, and/or TTU), and Arizona St.

In this scenario, the Big Ten is the big dog in terms of money, prestige, and academics, while the SEC is good enough in football to be relevant, but doesn't call the shots anymore. We are back to the pre-2000's world where the media and Big Ten look down on the SEC as a bunch of redneck, overrated, 3rd tier universities. Southern recruits begin viewing the Big Ten as a better option for national exposure in an NIL world.

Again, worst case.....but this is the worst case we need to prepare for and head off if possible. AAU is the only route I see for the SEC to end up as the loser in the 2 superconference future.