Pac-10 Expansion: Will the Big 12 Survive?

There is no question about it, the college football world is being turned upside down. The rumors have been confirmed about expansion in the Pac-10 and Big Ten, marking the biggest story in 20 years for college football.

Earlier this morning, Colorado officially announced that they will be leaving the Big 12, accepting a more than tempting invitation from the Pac-10.

Overall, the edition of the Colorado was not a huge surprise. The Buffaloes were one of the first names to come up back in February when ideas of conference expansion became public.

The so-called "domino effect" is in full swing, marking the possible end to the Big 12.

Nebraska is reportedly heading to the Big Ten, while fellow conference foe Missouri is still weighing their options to make the move with the Huskers. According to ESPN sources, Nebraska will make their move later this week or early next week.

A recent report from TMZ sports stated that Oklahoma State will supposedly be the next to jump ship for the Pac. This information came from an unknown source within the Oklahoma State athletic department stating that the move is a "done deal" and that it is "just a matter of time" until it is officially announced.

Gary Shutt from Oklahoma State communications has since reported this story false, stating that OK State are remaining committed to the Big 12, but will continue to evaluate their options.

Other invitations from the Pac-10 still extend to Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma, in which there has been no recent news of their official standing.

Between the Pac-10 and Big Ten, there are a total of eight teams being pursued or already gone.

So who's left?

The remaining schools in the Big 12 include Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State. Of these four schools, none of them have received invitations from any other conferences and in a sense, leaving them out to dry.

Many ideas have surfaced about where the remaining schools would go, if these super-conferences were to pan out as planned.

To the WAC? MWC? Brand new conference incorporating others?

There are still many, many questions to be answered at this point.

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe is "working tirelessly towards the long-term viability of the Big 12" along with fellow board members.

Is it too late for the Big 12 to be saved?

Many would think so. But what if the conference were to add TCU, Boise State, Utah and BYU or any combination of them?

This idea might solve the problem for the conference as well as the four schools, who have been looking for automatic BCS bids for years.

As the speculation of "who will go next" continues, only time will tell if the Big 12 will rise from the ash.