One of the biggest benefits to possible Big Ten expansion is that the ACC has provided the blueprint for what not to do, and Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany made some not-so-subtle comments at the Big Ten's recent spring meetings saying so:

"A lot of these things that we've studied have been, in my view, improperly studied [by other leagues]," Delany said. "Didn't understand the logistics, didn't understand the culture, didn't understand the academic fit, didn't really understand whether they were doing a merger or whether they were doing an expansion. Expansion is very difficult, and we're learning how to do it better, I think."

Zing.

The Big Ten is taking its time and exploring expansion with a smart, calculated approach. In retrospect, the overall evaluation of ACC expansion from outsiders and media outlets -- not to mention Delany -- has been unimpressed. Caulton Tudor of the Raleigh News & Observer summed it up:

At the end of the turmoil, the ACC wound up a weaker basketball conference, roughly the same in football and with a baseball “championship” tournament that prohibits four teams every year from even competing.

Obviously ACC expansion hasn't yet turned out like conference officials had hoped, but it's not a disaster, either. The championship game should see a boost in both interest and attendance with its move to Charlotte this year, and Miami and Florida State are on the verge of breaking back into national relevance. Virginia Tech has done its job in giving the conference a consistent 10-win program. A lucrative TV contract would be an important step in maintaining conference membership, though nothing has been made official yet.

Should the Big Ten make a move and change the landscape of college football, the ACC could be forced into realignment again -- very quickly. It's up to ACC commissioner John Swofford to figure out how to respond -- no doubt an unenviable task, and one that's far easier to criticize than it is to offer a solution.

Unless, of course, somebody has already done it first.