Big 12 Conference About to Be a Thing of The Past?

Fans of the Big 12 don't have to browse too far to find an article about conference expansions and re-alignments.  There's one on cnnsi and sportsline and of course all over Bleacher Report.  There has to be loads of tension surrounding Dan Beebe's office these days as the Big 12 seems the first up on the chopping block.  Let's face it, college football is on the cusp of change.  With the debate between the BCS and a playoff entering the politcal arena, the NCAA is going to have to act.  There is legitimacy behind the anti-trust talk that is going on now, leaving out the smaller conferences.  Would the only way for the NCAA to maintain control of it's entity be to expand their conferences?  Would a 16 team conference be too big?  Would a 16 team conference eliminate the possibility of anymore good non-conference games?

The Big 12 as a conference is in serious jeopardy to be sure.  If the Big 10 or PAC 10 can come up with a sweet enough deal to lure Texas, it'll be the beginning of the end of the Big 12.  There is nothing the Big 12 can offer Texas that it doesn't already have.  Colorado and MizzOU will both be swallowed up by the PAC 10 and Big 10 respectively.  No disrespect intended but to bring in TCU, Houston and anyone else would reduce the Big 12's credibility to that comparable to Conference USA or the MWC.  Oklahoma and Nebraska carried the Big 8 back in the day, but the game has changed since then.  That's not to say that they wouldn't continue their success because they would, but the rest of the Big 12 would suffer tremendously.

Now being a Sooner the thought of the Big 12 being diced up is no big deal.  We'll end up on our feet regardless.  College football is just way too big in Oklahoma to settle on mediocrity for too long, and our history and tradition are just too vast.  The website on cnnsi has us going to the SEC and there's nothing I'd love more.  Who couldn't get excited about the potential matchups there?!  Anyone think that if we did ever end up in the SEC, and Texas went to the "PAC 16" that the Red River Rivalry would come to an end?  What about Nebraska going to the "Big 16", would what is left of our rivalry with them end as well?  Either way we look to be on the cusp of change in college football, let's just hope they get it right.