Now that Texas and Oklahoma have notified the Big12 of their plans to not renew media rights, I believe the 16 team SEC is the new future. I have a number of thoughts, a few that I haven't seen posted yet.

• Be on the look out for a new "EASports" SEC where both players and institutions enter into a rights agreement with game developers. Marquee players will get PAID more than than reserve players. The SEC will have a built in recruiting benefit because of licensing agreements for video games. Forget the NCAA, it's going to be the SEC that will separate schools. I think Texas and OK are looking BIG picture as the NCAA dies its slow (or maybe not so slow) death.
• The SEC and other conferences will respond to the SCOTUS's critique of the NCAA by becoming the defacto branding, marketing, and licensing entity. SCOTUS' decision was naive and stupid (IMO) because it rules against the NCAA as illegally restricting competition as a monopoly. When in fact, the disbanding of the NCAA will basically make way for a super monopoly by the SEC (yay us?!) and maybe the Big10 and ACC. Basically, by citing the need for competition SCOTUS has removed the last barrier to collegiate athletic monopoly. This will have a horrible impact (long term) on non-revenue and women's sports.
• The combination of NIL and transfer rules is NOT good. The SEC will need to go back and revise the intraconference transfer rules. No player should be able to transfer within conference and play immediately. Especially, when they may have NIL contracts informing or shaping their interests. Vandy's former 3* WR should not be able to transfer to Bama, play immediately AND potentially make $$$ via boosters.
• I see a potential problem with Grad Assistants, academic counselors, chefs, & tutors and etc making 20-30k while college athletes possibly dwarfing their incomes. Something is going to have to shift to improve life of ancillary staff.
• Be careful what you wish for. I read somewhere, I wish I could find it, that 1600 student athletes entered transfer oortal. I'm not sure if this is this year or over the past 2-3 years. Over 1100 never found new homes and basically have up their scholarships. That's a lot of people losing access to free education. Something has to be done about this. Additionally, the portal is hurting scholarship access to high school students as coaches are reserving spots for transfers. This, again, undermines the collegiate and academic aspect. I think the SEC (and former NCAA) need to cap the number of transfer students that a team can bring in in a given year. A cap, a ratio, or a deterrent where you still lose scholarship spot for 1 or a half year after departure (eg: student transfers in with 2 years elgibility, it reduces scholarship count for 1 or .5 for an additional year)
• I posted this elsewhere among ceased comments. I'm curious what folks thoughts are: The conference schedules 8 regular season conference schedule with a TBD 9th game in last week of regular season. The 8 games consist of 3 games within the pod and 5 games outside of pod. The last week of the season the consist of 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 matchups between pods. The winners of the 1v1 game play in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. There are multiple ways the pods can be matched up: a) permanent AvB and CvD; b) predetermined but rotating cycle yearly. Some Y1: AvB, CvD, Year 2, AvC, BvD, Year 3, AvD, CvB; c) based on #1 team's CFP ranking or overall conference seeding; d) overall conference record of entire pod. This approach could build on excitement experienced this year when team's weren't predetermined and you can get some intra-pod competition with more relevant games as team's vie for CFP inclusion, regardless I'd expansion goes to 8 or 12. Plus, the SEC will again be able to claim enhanced schedule and better competition.