I have not done too much with SQL Server Failover Clustering except in test mode with Virtual Server and VMWare. This session was packed with experienced professionals who had seen it all.

I don't think you'd want to use a hardware load balancer in front of the SQL servers. Using MSCS and SQL clustering would provide load balancing and allow the DB to be consistent. I'm not sure if ...

supports SQL Server scale out, with readable secondaries, with no application code changes supports full asset utilization across a SQL Server cluster with geo-aware load balancing ...

The fundamentals of those new guidelines can be found in Google’s online instructions for configuring a SQL Server FCI. Google’s current guidance is clear and easy to follow.

Repeat the following SQL Server mantra until you believe it: you can't afford it. Rarely will you ever find a situation where upgrading hardware is less expensive than second server and works better.