Does Oklahoma Hold the Future of College Football Powerhouses in Its Hands?

Texas A&M was all ready to celebrate its acceptance into the SEC yesterday, but the Aggies were forced to keep the champagne on ice. It looks like the other Big 12 schools that they left high and dry aren’t very happy about their exodus.

First we were led to believe that Baylor was the one school that was standing in their way, but now ESPN is reporting that eight different Big 12 schools are retaining the right to pursue litigation against Texas A&M.

The catch is that those schools will waive that right if Oklahoma, who is rumored by the Oklahoman to be interested in joining the Pac-12, confirms that it will stay in the conference.

That means that the Sooners are now the centerpiece of college football’s realignment dance.

If Oklahoma chooses to stay in the Big 12, then Texas A&M is free to leave and the conference could move on with nine teams for now and then invite a 10th team, possibly BYU, to take A&M’s spot.

So, now Oklahoma has a heavy decision to make and the future of the Big 12—and possibly even the future of college football—hinges on it.

If the Sooners decide to leave the Big 12 and make the move to the Pac-12, taking teams like Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas with them, the Big 12 will dissolve and Texas A&M would be left in limbo, possibly caught up in a storm of legal chaos.

If the Sooners stay, then all the conference would need to do is find a replacement for A&M, which, by all accounts, shouldn’t be terribly difficult.

It will all come down to whether or not Oklahoma views the Big 12 as a stable home for the future.

The idea of joining a super conference presents both perks and disadvantages and the Oklahoma brass have to weigh their options and decide what’s best for their school.

We’ll have to wait and see what Oklahoma’s choice ultimately is, but one thing’s for sure: The college football realignment fiasco is already getting messy and there’s a good chance it could get a whole lot messier if the Sooners choose to make the move to the Pac-12.