Conference Realignment: Texas A&M to SEC, Where Other Big 12 Teams Should End Up

Sunday, the Texas A&M Aggies made their move to the SEC official, completing their strenuous summer-long journey and dooming their former conference to implode—eventually. 

It may be crazy to say now after Texas and Oklahoma were rejected by the almighty Pac-12, but just wait till Mike Slive and the SEC procure a gigantic TV deal due to his new best friends, Texas' 24 million viewers.

Larry Scott and the Pac-12 presidents will be licking their chops at the idea of becoming even more affluent.

Texas will see how great it is over in Aggie-land and seriously consider making concessions for their network so that they can have a nice piece of the Pac-12 pie.

The big-time programs and a few tag-alongs will bolt for greener pastures, but where exactly are those luscious grasslands? And who doesn't get invited?

Lets take a look at where everyone from the Big 12 should end up after all is said and done.  

Oklahoma: Pac-12

The Sooners are one of the two cornerstones supporting the Big 12 lifeboat, but don't count on Oklahoma to stay there for too long.

David Boren has the power—as given to him by the Board of Regents—to search for new conference affiliation. He, like the Aggies, is fed up with Austin.

At least OU knows it has enough clout to force Dan Beebe, the Big 12's former commissioner, to resign as a condition of them staying.

Oklahoma still wants out, but it will sit tight till the Pac-12 realizes it made a huge mistake by turning them down.

The Sooners probably could go anywhere they want, considering their success on the football field as well as the academic reputation that Boren has built from the ground up. Oklahoma is vying for a spot in the AAU and just might receive that invite soon enough.

With the Big 12 teetering on the brink of the abyss, OU has looked west. The Pac-12 is the only place for them with their high-class academic standards, brotherly love and piles of money.

They would make a great fit in the SEC, but the Sooners have made it clear that they want no part in the cut-throat recruiting that goes on in the southeast.

They much prefer the California talent, where they will get to play every year against big programs like USC, Stanford and Cal.  

Oklahoma State: Pac-12

The Cowboys are in a tough spot if the Big 12 falls apart.

They don't retain a history of on-field success. They aren't a strong academic university, only ranked the 132nd best college in the nation, 31 spots behind their in-state rivals.

That's why OSU has hitched their wagon onto the Sooners, hoping they can tag along all the way to California.

The pastures certainly are greener in the golden state, as they live the real-life story of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, hoping to grab some blue-chip recruits away from their brother in Norman.

This is the right move for the Cowboys if they want to win any games. The SEC would take them if they had nowhere else to go, making a great addition in the West with A&M.

However, playing against teams like Alabama, LSU and Arkansas every year would be grueling. In the Pac-12, at least they'd have a fighting chance.  

Texas: Pac-12

The Longhorns really know how to make friends.

If the Big 12 were a preschool, Texas would be the big kid who pushes everyone else around just because they can, and until recently, the teacher has been giving them gold stars for doing so.

With Beebe gone, Austin still thinks it can get exactly what it wants out of the Big 12. But will anyone else stick around long enough to find out what that is?

Their network is a stench that everyone else has to put up with, kind of like that guy in the bar who puts on too much cologne.

The Aggies decided it was a bit too strong and left for a smell-free SEC. The Sooners are holding their nostrils closed and downing shots, hoping they will just leave them alone.

The Pac-12 hated it so much they canceled on them. Mizzou is eyeing the door for their buddy the B1G. 

If Texas wants to go where Texas needs to go, then it needs to check their pride and wash off some of that cologne.

The Pac-12 fits Austin's culture perfectly, and the West Coast has a lot to offer Texas if they would make a few concessions on the LHN, which so far they haven't.

One thing is for sure, though. Eventually, Texas will have to make a decision.

It's either they take a few hits on the network and join the party in California, or they go independent. The choice is theirs. 

Texas Tech: Pac-12

Texas Tech sails in very similar straits as Oklahoma State.

They are stuck with no home with a big brother, which luckily they have in Texas.

Unfortunately, the Longhorns are not the Sooners. They lack that brotherly love that exists between Norman and Stillwater. 

Texas and its pride may screw the Red Raiders, especially if UT decides that independence is their best option.

Considering Tech's low academic standards, the Pac-12 doesn't exactly want Lubbock. It wants Austin and is more than willing to take in Tech to hold onto the Horns.

If Texas Tech wants to make it out west, they need to convince DeLoss Dodds and Texas that the Pac-12 is the most profitable option for them in the future. 

This will be a bumpy ride all the way out to the coast, but Tech has the means to make sure its wagon train ends up in California. 

Missouri: SEC/B1G

The Tigers are the only school left in the Big 12 that still has good, solid options left on their table.

Two conferences want them in the long run, but who will come calling first?

The SEC has grabbed all the Texas markets it wants by taking A&M, but now it looks to the Midwest and sees hot spots like Kansas City and St. Louis.

Missouri is the key to those viewers, and Mike Slive will make them an offer in the future.

However, Mizzou and its AAU status make them weary of the SEC's weak academic reputation.

The B1G, on the other hand, is the golden ticket, but getting into Willy Wonka's factory will be much more difficult than finding the right candy bar.

Their 12-team league is laden with AAU members, and Missouri is a great geographic fit for the Midwest conference.

Unfortunately, the B1G isn't looking to expand just yet. They want Notre Dame, and Missouri is a nice combo deal with the Irish, but Southbend won't be coerced into conference affiliation till the 11th hour of super-conference formation.

Mizzou will have to take Mike Slive and the SEC up on their offer or wait out the B1G for their dream conference. It should be interesting to see what the Tigers decide upon.  

Kansas: B1G

Although Kansas is no football power, they do possess a world-class basketball program that rivals the best of them.

The Jayhawks may look like they're caught up in a perfect storm, but it's an illusion.

The B1G is their lighthouse, slowly guiding in them into safety. 

If the Pac-12 expands into Oklahoma and Texas, the Midwest will have to do something. If they can't get Southbend to give, they will look to Kansas.

The Jayhawks hold an amazing basketball tradition, owning the Big 12 over the course of the conference's lifetime. 

After adding Nebraska last year, the B1G isn't looking for another football powerhouse. Kansas brings a strong basketball diversity to the club, giving them a one-up on any weak football programs the B1G might look at.

They have a storied rivalry with Mizzou, which would provide both schools with a familiar conference foe coming in (if Missouri gets the invite). 

This is the right move for Kansas. They need to push for realignment to the Midwest once everything else starts to crumble.

Kansas State: B1G

Kansas State has one thing going for them and that is Kansas' basketball program. This university doesn't add much to any conference in football or basketball. As of late, they have shown some potential in both sports, which gives them some draw, but not enough to be reeled in by a big conference. 

They are officially Kansas' tag-along, and fortunately for them the B1G will need a duo to add once Mizzou and Notre Dame fall into place. The state of Kansas is no TV market big shot, but neither is Nebraska. The B1G fits the Wildcats' culture and their brothers in Lawrence should receive some "thank you" cards once the invite to the the party arrives.  

Iowa State: MWC

There hasn't been much noise coming out of Ames recently concerning conference realignment.

Perhaps that is because the Cyclones know that they are screwed once the Big 12 crumbles. 

Iowa State may share their home with the storied Hawkeyes, but that doesn't provide them with any leverage in this situation.

The B1G has bigger fish to fry, and the Pac-12 just isn't interested. 

The Cyclones should already be talking to the Mountain West about affiliation to guarantee that they can get a spot at the table.

The MWC is evolving slowly into a conference that matters, and the ISU can make an immediate impact once there, but sadly Iowa State doesn't bring a lot to "super conferences" and will be a casualty of progress. 

Baylor: MWC/C-USA

The green and gold may have been high-fiving for a few weeks after "stopping" Texas A&M's move to the SEC, but Baylor needs to come back to reality now that the deal is done.

The Bears have screwed themselves out of any opportunity of getting an invite to any big conference, not that they had much of a chance before.

Baylor just looked like a bunch of whiny wimps from Waco when they refused to let their former conference foe Texas A&M leave peacefully.

If their lack of sports prowess and academic standards hadn't turned off the Pac-12 and the SEC already, that certainly did the trick. 

Now, as the Big 12 gulps in a last few breaths of air, Baylor should start to look for who will take them.

The MWC might even be a reach after the stunt they pulled against the Aggies, but they may be able to negotiate a package deal with Iowa State. 

If not, they need to look to Conference USA. This is their last resort, but it's a lot better than nothing. The Bears will, at the least, avoid being a doormat from now on.