Conference Realignment: Will Dan Beebe's Departure Save the Big 12?

On Tuesday, word came out that the University of Oklahoma was willing to stay in the Big 12 if a couple of simple demands were met, one of which was the removal of Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe.

It sounds like the Sooners are going to get their wish. Late Wednesday night, word came out from The Kansas City Star that Beebe was working on an agreement to leave his post as the Big 12's commissioner. His departure could become official as soon as Thursday.

Despite the recent reports of Oklahoma's demands, the news of Beebe's impending exit comes as a surprise. But according to a source, the news of Beebe's departure is much more sudden than his decision to make it.

"A couple of weeks ago, he told me privately that if the conference stayed together and he had to go it would be like lifting up a huge weight off his heart," said the Star's source.

With Beebe out of the picture, the source said that the best interests of the Big 12 will be served. The conference needs a "fresh start," and it should be able to achieve that without Beebe.

In theory, anyway.

If you're at all curious about why Oklahoma wanted Beebe to be removed as the commissioner of the Big 12, the initial report from The Oklahoman claimed it was because the university believed he cared more about pleasing Texas than he did about pleasing the conference. With the conference crumbling, a new commissioner was going to be needed.

“The best commissioner's a consensus builder,” a source told the paper. “We need a consensus-builder commissioner."

As for who that commissioner might be, that's a question nobody knows the answer to at present. The other thing nobody really knows is whether or not Beebe's absence will help the Big 12 repair itself.

In all likelihood, that's something that will go back to Oklahoma's other chief demand: that there be tighter regulations for the Longhorn Network, and perhaps a new revenue sharing model put into place in which all the other schools in the conference would benefit from the Longhorn Network.

This is hardly the ideal scenario for Texas, but the school is a little short on options at present. Moving to another conference seems like a far-fetched scenario now that the Pac-12 has decided not to expand, and going independent has plenty of downsides. The best case scenario would be staying in the Big 12 without having to change a thing about the Longhorn Network, but it's looking right now like that's asking too much.

If the perception about Beebe's tendency to cater to Texas is true—and it does seem to be true—then his departure is not going to help Texas. It will be in the best interest of the conference's interim commissioner to save the Big 12 at all costs, even if that means offering Texas a "take it or leave it" deal.

Considering all this, we may as well ask the big question:

Will this latest development help save the Big 12?

From where I'm sitting, the answer is yes, but only slightly. As soon as the Pac-12 withdrew from the fuss, the Big 12 was in a position where it had to rescue itself, and I think it would have done that no matter who the commissioner was.

Still, Beebe's departure can't hurt.

Unless you're Texas, this is.