there's a big difference - conferences were built to be unrealistic from the start. that was by design, obviously not all conferences had 12 members when HD was created.
the sim engine is core to the game, and i think it will be hard for them not to at least try to take that on, at some point - if/when the change is actually approved in real life. it doesn't mean they will, but i certainly wouldn't rule it out, either.