Pending implosion of the Big XII conference
National Football League
Draft King Analysis
June 11, 2010
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
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The Big XII is on the verge of breaking apart, and it's the magnetic pull of money from big time college sports that appears set to rip it to shreds.
The first move happened yesterday, as Colorado announced that it will became the 11th member of the Pac-10 beginning in 2012-13. Today it was Nebraska that jumped ship, applying to become school number twelve in the Big Ten and thus giving that conference enough teams to have a football championship game. Gene Stallings reportedly said that talk of Texas going to the Pac-10 is "accurate" and further indicated that Texas and Texas A&M might not end up in the same conference.
Why is this happening? It comes down to cash. Conferences are either looking to add stronger teams, such as what the Mountain West did today by snagging Boise State from the WAC, or in the cases of larger conferences looking to add new television markets that would make the member schools more money.
The University of Texas may not exactly be on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, but regional conference titles and/or placements aren't nearly as valued as some might think. Louisiana Tech has been in the WAC since 2001, so this isn't exactly a new concept. But it's never been like this, a high stakes money grab that puts cash and potential viewership of major events ahead of tradition and rivalry.
Colorado is many, many miles away from their closest competition in the new Pac-10, but adding them allows the Pac-10 to gain access to the Denver television market. Add the Longhorns and the Pac-10 gets essentially every market in Texas, including Dallas (#5 United States TV market), Houston (#10), San Antonio (#37), Austin (#48), Waco-Temple-Bryan (#89), and El Paso (#98). That, at least in theory, would give the Pac-10 a major boost in negotiating its next TV contract.
Suddenly the idea of Texas going to the Pac-10 doesn't sound so unreasonable, does it? On the flip side, there have been overtures that Texas A&M has communicated with the SEC about the possibility of moving there. Logistically it would be complicated, but as always remember one important rule: when in doubt, follow the money.
It appears that the Big XII could potentially lose Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech, leaving just five remaining teams: Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa State, and Baylor. The Big XII could be rebuilt, potentially with some of the have-nots from the old Southwest Conference. Like a bad TV spin-off or movie sequel, a couple of the same players are there, but the rest of the cast have the feel of second-rate fill-ins. Consider this possible Medium 12:
Medium 12 North:
Air Force
Colorado State
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri
Medium 12 South:
Baylor
Houston
Memphis
Rice
Tulsa
SMU
Backups: New Mexico, UTEP, and North Texas
I doubt that it will actually play out that way (particularly with the Mountain West having just added Boise State), but at this rate almost anything seems possible. The speed that the collapse of the Big XII has had has been remarkable. This went from off-the-radar to done deal in an amazingly quick manner.
