Why Texas Holds the Future of College Football in Their Hands

Rumors abound and the sports talk radio shows are selling more advertising time than ever.  Why?  The possibility that Texas might leave the Big 12 and join the Big 10 (or whatever they might decide to call themselves).  Why or how does this affect everything in college football?  Simple, Texas is just the tip of the iceberg.

Should the Big 10 win the equivalent of the powerball in college football, they will then become a 14 member conference with Texas, Notre Dame, and Miami (FL).  The Big Ten network will have a national following and will be as widely available on basic cable as ESPN.  Why would Texas join?  The same reason the others might, MONEY.  Lots and lots of money. 

Even the most conservative estimates have Texas earning an additional $10 Million annually if they leave the Big 12 and join the Big 10.  That ain't peanuts.  Should the Big 10 pull the above trick, then it would easily mean double that.  So how does that change everything in college football you ask?  Do the math with me.

The Big 12 suddenly is 11 and with Texas leaving and the Pac 10 expanding. it is only a matter of minutes before Colorado is packed off and heading West.  Now the Big 12 has 10.  Furthermore, Texas A&M is not about to stay without Texas and the overtures to the SEC that the Texas legislature killed in the early '90s are back in play.  Do you really think the SEC is going to let the Big 10 go to 14 without retaliating?  The SEC will go to 16, accepting Texas A&M, Missouri or TCU and will go after Virginia Tech and either FSU or West Virginia.

Should the SEC be successful at going to 16, then look for the Big 10 to immediately extend invitations to Rutgers and Syracuse, both of whom are on their short list, but neither of whom are their first choices (contrary to Joe Pa's wishes).

With the Big 10 and SEC being the two richest conferences and only getting richer, the Pac 10 will panic and in addition to Colorado and Utah (who everyone and their mother expect to receive an invitation), will extend invitations to Boise State (who they really don't want, but can't explain NOT extending and invitation to) and Nevada.

Any way you want to play this out, the Big 12, ACC, Big East, and Mountain West are all looking for members and hoping to just remain viable conferences in the new world order of the SUPER Conference. 

If the snowball gets completely out of control you could end up with only eight conferences and a playoff format like nothing any of us who grew up in the old bowl system could have ever imagined.