Jul. 24—Here we go again — but this time, there’s seemingly no going back.
A decade ago, there were talks of Big 12 Conference members leaving the conference for greener pastures. In the end, we were “gifted” with the Longhorn Network and were told that members were stronger together.
Now here we are, and the Big 12 is crumbling before our very eyes as Oklahoma and Texas are one vote and settlement away from becoming card-carrying members of the vaunted Southeastern Conference.
Understandably, this leaves the remaining eight members of the Big 12 in a pretty rocky situation. Do they stick together and try to bring in new members? Or is this really the end?
If you ask me, I’d say that it’s time to finalize the breakup and start anew.
OU and Texas will be in excellent shape in the SEC — more revenue, more eyeballs, and an excellent football product to boot. It’s the right move, despite how it leaves the other teams out to dry.
And while I’m no expert, I have some ideas on what destinations would most likely fit the remaining eight members.
Kansas and Iowa State to the Big Ten is a no-brainer. While the Jayhawks’ gridiron product isn’t top level, its basketball program surely is and would be a welcome addition to that conference. Meanwhile, Iowa State is solid in multiple sports, and can even more consistently clash with in-state rival Iowa with the move.
Our friends in Morgantown, West Virginia, could fit right in with the ACC. And to increase membership, adding a school like Baylor would add in recruiting efforts in the state of Texas.
Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Texas Christian, and Kansas State to the PAC-12 also makes a lot of sense. While those 9 p.m. road kickoffs would be an adjustment, the schools would be on more stable footing and reunite with former Big 12 member Colorado. It also expands the PAC’s influence east of the Rockies, forms yet another 16-team superconference, and creates some fun new rivalries along the way.
This is just a scenario that I believe fits each team the best. Again, I don’t claim to be an expert, but this talk can actually be a lot of fun — once we come to terms that the league we once knew is heading for the end.
The thing that makes me the saddest is that Bedlam as we know it is likely finished. But maybe that adds something more special to the rivalry, and it’d be like a rowdy family reunion when the schools do get to come together again.
But imagine the possibilities — Sooners fans enjoying a tailgate in Baton Rouge, Cowboy fans comparing uniform combos in Eugene, Alabama fans making their first trip to Norman’s Campus Corner, and the black and orange welcoming USC to the Stillwater Strip.
That does sound like an awful lot of fun.
By the time this publishes, I’m sure more information will have come to light. And yes, breakups are messy. But the possibility of a fresh future is exciting.
So rest in peace to the Big 12. It was fun while it lasted, but it’s time to move on.
Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.