Big 12 Football Schedule: What's Taking so Long?

The college football schedules for the most part have already been released, except if your team is located in the Big 12 Conference. It'd be nice to see which teams are playing who and when so we can have even more things to talk about in this brutal seven-month offseason.

Texas Tech AD Kirby Houtt expected the schedule to be released at the end of last week, but the only schedule that leaked was the Red Raiders'. The rest of the teams have to wait patiently and continue to hope they don't end up on the shorter end of the stick.

So why is the schedule taking so long to come out?

Of course, conference realignment comes into play with the Big 12. Missouri and Texas A&M are both leaving the conference for the SEC, and TCU and West Virginia are trying to replace them. But the Mountaineers do have their fair share of problems as they try to leave the Big East. However, if you look at the Red Raiders' schedule, it would be safe to assume that West Virginia is a member of the Big 12 Conference next season.

There are other scheduling hurdles that the Big 12 must clear. Reports claim there are still eight possible schedules the conference is still trying to choose from.

Hurdles include things like whether Oklahoma should start the season on the road. It may very well happen against UTEP, as the Sooners were expected to travel to play Rutgers, but Rutgers doesn't want to have to travel to Oklahoma to play the Sooners again in the future.

Or will the Sooners begin the season against the new member, the West Virginia Mountaineers? This, of course, would be one of the biggest Week 1 matchups, but it's also a huge early test, especially with the game being played in Morgantown. After the season the Sooners had last year, they may want to slowly work their way in the schedule instead of jumping straight into the fire. 

They're also discussing when the Red River Rivalry will take place, and it could be moved in the month of October. Any date is pretty much up for grabs, except the 27th, when the Sooners square off against Notre Dame in Norman.

At this point, we're not exactly sure when the schedule will be released. Hopefully with the Texas Tech schedule being leaked, it's a sign that things are beginning to be ironed out and we will find out something sooner than later. But with conference realignment, you just never know with things like this.

It's only February, but with the way the Big 12 is going, it'll be September before you know it.

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail].