How is Peter King linked to this reporting? I think all he did was "tweet" a link to the WNDU article that was reported by Jeff Jeffers. I wouldn't say that Peter King is putting his credentials on the line with that.
However, if it does go down like that:
I wouldn't be so quick to place UT, A&M, OU, and maybe Okie-lite into the SEC.
If the Big Ten isn't going after the Whorns, then you can damn sure bet they would rather have the Pac-10 take them than the SEC. How would that be possible?
Fox.
Fox Cable is the Big Ten's partner in their Big Ten Network. Fox also is one of the current TV partners with the Pac-10 and Big 12. Guaranteed they have been involved with Texas heavily over the years, and have had some involvement with UT about starting their own network.
I 100% believe the statements that have come out of Texas, dating as far back as 1994, that they do not want to be a part of the SEC for academic reasons. The Big Ten was their first option, the Pac-10 will be their next.
The Pac-10 currently has a very similar "hybrid" (read: Uneven) revenue distribution for TV payouts. This is inline with UT's demands.
Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Colorado, and 1 of: Oklahoma State or Texas Tech will go to the Pac-10 if the Big Ten expands as layed out.
It will basically be the same as the Big 12 format, with the national teams getting the majority of the national broadcasts and subsequent payouts. The "bone" that will be thrown to all the other schools is a bigger overall payout and better TV access as they create their own conference network much the same as the Big Ten has done.
The Pac-10 might place some "goals" on some of those programs to get better academically, but they can't be too "high and mighty" with OU and whoever the 6th team is, as the Sooners are at least in the ballpark academically as Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington State. Adding that kind of football resume (and hoops too) will be too good to pass up. The sixth team would be accepted as necessary for getting the other five. Texas Tech might actually have an advantage over Okie-state with a significant investment at the state level already underway to get them (and Houston) into Tier I and AAU status being the specific goals. This would be similar to how Arizona State entered the Pac in 1979.
The SEC might "counter" by going after ACC schools (FSU, Clemson?), and maybe Okie-lite if they get left at the alter, possibly Louisville, West Virginia or other Big East castoffs (Cincy just to stick it to the Big Ten?), and maybe even TCU, Baylor, or Houston enter into their list of consideration.
The ACC would then have their choice of the remaining Big East schools to fill any of their openings with UConn being a shoe-in for that conference.
That would mean the four "super-conferences" are settled, with Conference USA (maybe splitting between East/West) and the Mountain West trying to pickup the pieces as best they can.
There could even be a "new" Super-mid-major conference with Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, SMU, Baylor, Houston, Tulane, Memphis, Louisivlle, Cincinnati, West Virginia, East Carolina, South Florida, and Central Florida. That conference could claim a spot as a BCS AQ conference (from the Big East) and have really good hoops credentials too. The MWC would then be forced to expand with Boise State and Fresno State and then one or three from the remaining WAC and Conference USA teams.
Four Super-conferences and two "super" mid-majors? Still only six BCS AQ conferences with nearly all of the "at-large" spots reserved for the "Big 4 + ND". Congress would back off because the MWC teams now have a seat at the table, at least until Tulane went 12-0 again, or Miami of Ohio finds the next Big Ben and tries to break the BCS (insert joke here).
Anyway, it could get crazy soon.