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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/GoCardinal07 on 2024-07-22 14:41:36+00:00.

The real reason for the latest power conference realignment was about access to In-N-Out.

With the 2021-2024 realignment, all of the Power 4 conferences will have multiple In-N-Out states:

  • Big XII (4): Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Utah (only Texas in 2021)
  • B1G (3): California, Oregon, Washington (0 in 2021)
  • ACC (2): California, Texas (0 in 2021)
  • SEC (2): Tennessee, Texas (only Texas in 2021)

In fact, after this latest round of realignment, the MAC is the only FBS conference without an In-N-Out state:

  • Mountain West (6): California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah (4 in 2021)
  • Conference USA (3): New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas (only Texas in 2021)
  • American (2): Tennessee, Texas (only Texas in 2021)
  • Pac-2 (2): Oregon, Washington (5 in 2021)
  • Sun Belt (1): Texas
  • MAC (0)

(In-N-Out’s expansion to New Mexico, Tennessee, and Washington have been announced, but the locations have not opened yet.)

In-N-Out conference realignment timeline:

  • As things stood in August 2021: In-N-Out was in 5 Pac-12 states. The Big XII and SEC each had 1 In-N-Out state: Texas. The B1G and ACC had no In-N-Out states.
  • September 2021: Big XII votes to add BYU, making them the second conference with two or more In-N-Out states (the other being the Pac-12 whose members are all in In-N-Out states).
  • June 2022: B1G votes to add USC and UCLA from the Pac-12, effective August 2024. This audacious move gives the B1G access to In-N-Out.
  • January 2023: In-N-Out announces plans to expand to Tennessee, making the SEC the third conference with 2 or more In-N-Out states.
  • June 2023: Big XII votes to add Colorado from the Pac-12, giving Big XII three In-N-Out states (only the Pac-12 has more).
  • June 2023: B1G votes to add Oregon (and Washington) from the Pac-12, making the B1G the fourth conference with 2 or more In-N-Out states (California and Oregon).
  • June 2023: Big XII votes to add Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State, giving the Big XII four In-N-Out states (and pushing the Pac-12 down to just two In-N-Out states in the process).
  • September 2023: ACC votes to add Stanford, Cal, and SMU, ensuring it is not left behind in the In-N-Out access race by adding members in two In-N-Out states (and cutting the Pac-12 down to 1 In-N-Out state: Oregon).
  • March 2024: In-N-Out announces plans to expand to Washington, giving the B1G a third In-N-Out state (and bringing the Pac-2 back up to 2 In-N-Out states).