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It sounds like I am probably the only person who knows more than one Clemson fan. I spent some time in the area and know a number.
The first thing that strikes me as ridiculous, that Clemson would end up in the Big 12, is that they have plenty of regional rivalries tied to the ACC and SEC. The fans are not going to want to give up historical opponents like that. This isn't like Missouri, who had been boned time after time by a conference beholden to a few and had really only one strong rival, and not one that was truly a rival in football. Clemson is part of the deep south and that's part of the school's identity. The SEC would be about 5,000 times more appealing. FSU too. These are both schools that have fans who travel for football like maniacs. You can't meet Clemson fans that aren't going to Blacksburg, Durham, Tallahassee, Charlottesville with regularity. Do you think Clemson and FSU fans want to start going to Ames and Lawrence/Manhattan or.. anywhere The fans would hate it. There is an entire culture around those teams home and away and it's not going to fly to have to fly to everything.
Besides that, moving up to the SEC is its own reason, both their primary rivals play in that conference and despite what you Baghdad Bobs think, the big 12 could have its pick of anyone out there and no school with an option will chose it if the SEC would answer the phone.
West Virginia just got through joining the big 12 - why? Because they exhausted their attempts to join the SEC.
and Notre Dame could join the Big Ten any day they wanted. Your dreams of playing them in pole vaulting and rowing and maybe basketball if you're lucky pale in comparison... Sorry.
Why is the idea that any other conference might be even comparable such a crazy one? It's just fact.
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