teams would be running from a better deal to join that mess because of academic prestige? Completely disagree.
And while we're here, I don't think it would be the 4 teams you mentioned. I think it would be USC, Oregon, UW, and Stanford ("No way SC leaves UCLA or Stanford leaves Cal!" welcome to the new world of college sports. Talk to Texas AM, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, etc about leaving long time partners for more $$$ in a different conference). When that happens (I absolutely think it will happen), I think the Big 12 will expand by 4 teams to get to 16. I don't see the Big 12 expanding to 18 or more, and I don't see them offering the remaining Pac 12 teams a life boat with some sort of alignment. The 4 teams that make the most sense to me are: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and UCLA. That would leave: Wazzu, Cal, UU, and Oregon State to fend for themselves. I bet Hair Thompson would welcome them with open arms.
So in summary, BYU and the Big 12 would be in a stronger football (and much stronger basketball conference) and Utah would re-join the Mountain West. Balance and order will finally be restored.