Look I know that ISU to the Big 10 is a longshot but...
It was leaked long ago that in 2010, that exact thing DID happen. The University of Iowa president was told to do everything in their power to get ISU an invite to the Big 10. Why would this go around be any different?
The University of Iowa president still gets their marching orders from the Regents. Its in the Regents best interest to have Iowa State maintain a good long term athletics program in a power conference.
Help me understand why the regents would want Iowa to derail that. That would basically be a dog trying to bite its own tail off.
Also remember, these are educators making decisions, not sports ADs.
And yes, I know that politicians can't directly influence the decisions of a large media company (Big 10). But why would the Iowa politicians have to? They control 1 voice out of a 14 member panel who will ultimately make the decisions. They have all the access they need to succeed in their goal. That is an advantage others schools left in the Big 12 do not have.