Big 12 Realignment: Are Baylor's Efforts Too Little, Too Late?

Let's imagine this whole conference realignment drama as an old western film.

The Big 12 stands against the wall, blindfolded, as the firing squad loads their rifles. Will the hero swoop in at the last minute and save the conference from its inevitable fate? Oh, the drama!

On Monday, the board of regents at both Oklahoma and Texas voted to grant their respective school presidents the power to decide which conference to play in. The rumors have been flying for both schools. The SEC, PAC 12, Big 10 and ACC conferences have all been linked to the two schools at some point, not including the anticlimactic choice of staying put in the Big 12.

Considering the resumes of the two programs, most importantly in the last decade, it should be no surprise that they are in high demand. The Red River Rivalry has become one of the top-billed contests in the nation and both schools have been regulars in the BCS sweepstakes year after year.

The hero (Baylor) is tied up in a basement but is frantically trying to chew threw his ropes and save the Big 12 from eminent doom. What a thriller!

Unlike other conference lightweights (i.e. Kansas, Iowa State), Baylor is not going to sit idly by and watch it's only chance of legitimacy prance away like a tumbleweed through the desert.

Last week, the SEC unanimously voted to welcome Texas A&M into their conference with one exception: none of the other Big 12 schools take legal action in regards to their swift exit. Baylor saw their chance and took it, switching sides and threatening a lawsuit. Whether or not they are serious remains to be seen, but they succeeded in temporarily throwing a wrench in the gears.

Unfortunately, precedent is not on the side of Baylor or the Big 12. In 2003, five Big East schools combined to sue Miami and Boston College in an attempt to prevent their move to the ACC. Long story short, it didn't work.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Baylor took further action. Over the weekend, the school commissioned a research study to poll regional college football fans on their thoughts regarding realignment. At first glance, a surprising 76% said they would be disappointed with "the creation of super conferences". Upon further review, however, you begin to see how slanted the poll actually was.

Judging by the wording of the questions, the poll operated on the assumption that realignment would eliminate long-standing rivalries like OU-Texas. Nearly all of the questions ended with flowery, vague phrases like "eliminating historical regional rivalries" or "fight to preserve the original intent of collegiate athletics." Putting language like this at the end of a question can easily sway the pollsters in your favor. Nice try, Baylor.

The assumption that important rivalries would be eliminated is not at all safe enough to make and is the very reason polls like this aren't used in making important decisions. Fans will follow their teams no matter what conference they are in. Is Sooner Nation really going to jump ship because we play Oregon State instead of Iowa State in Week 7? The answer is an emphatic NO.

Just when things were looking bad for our hero, his trusty sidekick barrels through the door to help him escape. What a twist of fate!

Texas head coach Mack Brown even threw in his ill-conceived two cents.  "We better go back and make sure that we're taking care of the players and that the players and the high school coaches are always considered in the equation. Because if not, we're not going to have a game." He also put specific emphasis on parents being unable to travel to games that are farther away.

Really Mack?

With a chance to influence the landscape of college football, a potentially lucrative presence on the heavily populated West Coast and a vastly increased academic profile on the line, the school presidents are supposed to worry about whether mom and dad can make the game?

We can all sit around and squabble about what we want or what we think is the best. I, on the other hand, like to focus on reality.

Here is the truth: the decision is now up to the school presidents who have a much bigger scope than any of us. These are some of the smartest people involved in the entire ordeal and will make a well-informed decision based on what is best for their university in the long term.

Its not looking good for our hero. The firing squads are now taking aim, waiting for the order from the school presidents. The Big 12 quivers in fear, knowing the only chance for survival lies in the tightly bound hands of the hero. Will Baylor save the day?

Probably not.