Big 12 Breakup: Where the Kansas Jayhawks Should Land in Conference Realignment

The Big 12 is finished.

There's no way around it. It looked as if it were going to happen last summer, but somehow—somehow—Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe pulled a rabbit out of his hat following the defections of Colorado and Nebraska and managed to sell the 10 remaining members on sticking with the conference.

That rabbit turned out to be a mega-TV deal with Fox to broadcast the league's games into the 2020s with a kazillion-dollar pot that would have to be split only 10 ways instead of 12. But the deeper underlying issue remained: Who runs this conference?

The answer, of course, should be that no one school dictates a conference's course of action. Members should work collectively for a common good, certainly enjoying the accolades and success earned as individuals, but in turn sharing the financial benefits of those achievements with the other schools that made it possible. Think of it as, "Yeah, you beat us like a drum—now go win that BCS game and bring home the bacon." This is the nature of conference athletics. Collective, guaranteed money, among like-minded universities assembled under the umbrella of a conference's security and bargaining power.

But the Big 12 has devolved from this model—and done so publicly, for all to see. The most fundamental shift, and the one that portends certain doom for the league, is that the conference-first mentality mentioned above has been abandoned. Texas fans don't want to hear it, but the development of The Longhorn Network is the smoking gun of the new order. If Texas had used its leverage to push the creation of a Big 12 Network, we likely would not be where we are today.

Instead, you now have university presidents announcing their intentions to pursue what's in their institutions' best interests. On the surface, that may sound like common sense—reassuring to each school's fans, alumni and donors. But it is not the kind of talk that saves a conference.

So where does Kansas go from here? Last time around, I was worried about the Jayhawks' future. Would they land in another BCS conference or be forced into some kind of mid-major conglomeration? The uncertainty was disconcerting.

This time, however, I like Kansas' chances to land on its feet. The university brings a lot to the table in any realignment scenario. Now, I'm not blind to the fact that football accomplishment and football dollars are at the top of other schools' resumes in this reorganization—and there, Kansas comes up short. Yet, what the Jayhawks offer further down in their resume is more than enough to warrant a place in the expansion discussions of numerous conferences. This would include tangible traits that appeal to university presidents, such as research funding, endowment, library size and the performance of the debate team (2009 National Debate Tournament champs!). It also includes intangibles, such as a passionate core of fans who travel well throughout the nation and turn out to support their team at home even in the leanest of seasons.

If there is one thing that Kansas could do to make itself more attractive, it would be to find an "expansion partner"—another school with which to present a joint bid for inclusion. For Kansas, that school should be Missouri. The two represent bordering states with deep historical ties—though not always pleasant ones. They each enjoy strong support in the Kansas City area, and Missouri also brings St. Louis into the fold. In regard to academics, athletics and overall bearing, the two are virtually identical, further nurturing their mutual animosity. Even with this cool relationship, the Tigers would make good partners with which to venture forth into the unknown of realignment.

With these things in mind, here's my take on the current speculation:

Big East—This seems to be the scenario getting the most attention from Jayhawks fans. Part of that comes from revelations that Kansas had been in contact with the conference a year ago. Basketball would appear to be the primary motivation for this move, though football would likely benefit as KU would seem to measure up a little better against this league's competition. But on the whole, this is an odd fit for Kansas. A large school on the Great Plains squaring off against the likes of Seton Hall and Providence on the hard court and Pitt and Connecticut on the gridiron? It just doesn't stoke the imagination. I'd term this outcome a disappointment, but certainly less so if it's the only option to remain in the BCS.

Pac-12—This option is more palatable, but at the same time far-fetched. The Pac-12's attention appears to be firmly set on Oklahoma and points south, with BYU a possibility if expansion fever sweeps the nation. Kansas might be considered, but only if other schools were to decline the league's overtures. Like a move to the Big East, the travel distances are great—the Pac-12 would at that point span three time zones.

ACC—Certainly another basketball-motivated move that could help football as well. But like a Big East option, would matchups with Virginia and Wake Forest fire up fans? Granted, annual series with Duke and North Carolina would be a basketball-lovers' dream (myself included), but it's one of the few bright spots from this result. It would be better than a move to the Big East, but just barely so—something KU fans will realize as they travel to Charlotte or Atlanta for that first conference basketball tournament.

Big 12—Well, it's not dead yet, so the idea that the Big 12 limps along like a three-legged dog must be considered.  The conference needs a home run addition to remain viable, yet short of Notre Dame, there are no available schools that would even approach that designation. As it stands, a reconstituted Big 12 would be a glorified Mountain West or the WAC—a carousel of teams patched together with the thinnest of ties lobbying for attention on the national stage. And all this knowing that the oblivion of irrelevance was just one or two defections away. (A note about three-legged dogs: Are they lovable? Yes. Are they show-worthy? No.)

Big Ten—Far and away the best option that could occur for Kansas. This is where the KU brass should be concentrating all of their efforts. If mega-conferencing occurs, the Big Ten will need four schools to reach 16. Kansas is a better fit than you might think: Large state school, close proximity to a metropolitan population center (Kansas City), AAU membership, a loyal, supportive fanbase, and a Midwestern location. With Missouri as their wingman, the Jayhawks would look even better, establishing a solid geographical link with the rest of the conference when coupled with Nebraska on its northern border. A schedule with names like Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois and Minnesota makes much more sense than any of the other realignment possibilities previously discussed. For Kansas fans and for the university, this is the best-case scenario.

The key question is whether the Big Ten is interested in Kansas. The answer to that question—and the need to have it answered—is much closer than you think. With any luck, the important people are already talking.