College Football Realignment: Texas A&M Gone, 3 Teams the Big 12 Should Pursue

Texas A&M to the SEC is virtually a foregone conclusion, and it seems the Big 12 has moved on from one of its more prestigious members.

The Big 12 recently relieved its commissioner, Dan Beebe, of his position, as Chuck Neinas will fill in during the interim.

With the Aggies on the way out, the conference sits at nine members , a far cry away from the 12 that it had just two years ago.

Many have accepted that seeking out new members can stabilize the conference that has become a focal point of realignment for the past year and a half.

Here are three programs the Big 12 should pursue.

BYU

The immediate draw for BYU is its independence.

The Cougars would bring a huge television market to the Big 12, more than making up for what the conference would lose with Texas A&M jumping to the SEC.

Although one would have to consider more than just the primary bread winner, football represents a huge chunk of change for the Big 12.

Moreover, BYU arguably has had better success on the gridiron in recent memory than the Aggies.

Geographically, there is little difference between BYU's home in Provo, Utah than the ex-Big 12 member Colorado's home in Boulder, Colo.

BYU has publicly insisted that it has no intentions of announcing its allegiance to any conference, citing instability as the rationale for no action.

But if the Big 12 were to look at the proper candidates and secure their spots, the Cougars would be a great addition.

Louisville

Louisville football is ho-hum, but there is no denying that its basketball is elite.

With the current efforts of Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State and Baylor in basketball, Louisville could be enticed to switch from the Big East.

The conference has had Pittsburgh and Syracuse send in applications to the ACC, to the Big 12.

The Cardinals would bring a new market that the Big 12 doesn't currently have, adding flavors to an already impressive basketball make-up.

Geographically, while Louisville is probably more east coast than Midwest, there would be some natural ties with Missouri and Iowa State, not to mention the last of three potential additions to the Big 12.

West Virginia

The Big 12 should raid the seemingly derailing Big East again, snatching up one of the conference's most impressive football and basketball schools in recent memory.

Not only would the Mountaineers naturally fit into a mix with Louisville, but matching those two with Iowa State permits the argument to implement the country's first pod system in college athletics.

Morgantown presents a great college atmosphere, as the stands fill up and the energy is electric.

Should the Big East begin dissolving with the loss of both Pittsburgh and Syracuse, West Virginia could be a highly coveted university when conferences look to realign.

Why This Makes Sense

Going back to the aforementioned pod system, it could be an implementation that revolutionizes how college football and other athletics operates.

Should the Big 12 land these three candidates, the conference could be divided into four geographic pods, divisions, groupings, whatever nomenclature fits your bill.

Pod 1: Texas. Texas Tech, Baylor 
Pod 2: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, BYU
Pod 3: Kansas State, Kansas, Missouri
Pod 4: Iowa State, Louisville, West Virginia

The idea here is that any one school, primarily talking football, would face the other two teams in its pod in addition to a combination of teams from the remaining pods.

Obviously this concept has to be stewed, tweaked and constructed multiple times over before its implementation, but it would be a system that could attract these three universities into a lucrative deal.

Natural rivalries are maintained. Additional programs are brought in that add some luster and depth to multiple sports.

The hardest sell would be to BYU, who has benefited mightily from its independent status. The imbalance created by potential moves out of the Big East by Pittsburgh and Syracuse could easily open the door for Louisville and West Virginia.

One thing is certain: realignment is far from over.