The Big Ten is now The North: most of the northeast, the midwest and California. The SEC covers the states of the Confederacy. The Big 12 is the western frontier states of the time, which were low in population so fairly insignificant (just as the Big 12 now is). The ACC is the Stephen Douglass Democrats, who were found on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line and tried to straddle the issue of slavery--but were not numerous enough and were ultimately doomed (which looks ever more likely for the ACC). The PAC 12 is now the northwesten territories out on an island and also facing irrelevance. The North is more developed than The South: the universities are better academically and are major research centers. The South is more dedicated to martial pursuits: higher emphasis on sports at all costs.
This comes back as always to demographics.
This comes back as always to demographics.