Well by Gene Smith's comments, sounds like they've figured out a 9th conference game probably brings more value than the ACC/PAC12 matchups. Also finally someone says the obvious, the B10 brings more value to them than they do to the B10. The Alliance games sound like something they're open to if it's "convenient" but they won't move heaven and earth to make the matchups happen.
No mention of divisions, so I suppose the elimination of them is still possible.
From an Athletic article:
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said Wednesday that the working arrangement between the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 —
dubbed The Alliance — may not necessarily lead to scheduling agreements between the three conferences when it comes to future football games, with the Big Ten favoring staying at nine conference games rather than moving back to eight to create room for another nonconference matchup.
"We thought that conference contests, from a TV partner point of view, were just as valuable. We decided to kind of walk away from that a little bit. That doesn’t mean it might not come back up … The value of The Alliance was just bringing together schools that think alike.”
"We talk more about what do we need to do with the Big Ten, to keep the Big Ten as valuable as it is in our footprint, for our fans, for our athletes, and our television partners," Smith said. "It’s rare that we compare ourselves to even the ACC or the Pac-12. The Alliance, if we were just looking at TV value, we’re more valuable to the ACC or the Pac-12 than they are to us."