Big 12 Football: Where does conference go from here?

Dissolve

The second option, which isn’t really an “option” but more of a possibility, is to dissolve the conference. But what becomes of the remaining eight programs?

Texas Tech and Oklahoma State should make the move it would have in 2011 had Texas not blown up the whole thing: join the Pac-12.

The Red Raiders and Cowboys found a home during the last round of expansion had the Big 12 ended. It should go back to the well and join where in an alternate universe, they’re already playing.

This time, instead of Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M, it should bring fellow Big 12 brothers TCU and Baylor with it. Both have proven they can play big-time football, Baylor brings great men’s and women’s basketball programs, while TCU also brings one of the nation’s best baseball programs.

That leaves four, and this is where things get dicey.

West Virginia should have been in the ACC in 2011, but the conference shot that down. Now, it’s time to make that a reality. West Virginia’s ACC arrival would add a rabid fan base in football and basketball.

But potentially the best part would be the consistent renewal of the Backyard Brawl against Pitt. This is one of college football’s best rivalries that should have never died, much like Texas/Texas A&M. Ironically enough, both rivalries could return because of Texas.

Kansas’ future home should be the Big Ten. The football program is an absolute liability, but they can’t possibly be this bad forever (or can they?) and almost has nowhere to go but up. The Jayhawks’ real value would be in basketball. Imagine Kansas against powers like Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Michigan State every season. That right there makes the move worth it.

Would Kansas force the Big Ten to take Kansas State with it? They’d be a fit, and play more of a Big Ten style of football than a Big 12 style. But is the value *really* there for the conference to take the Wildcats?

Iowa State would be the other choice for the Big Ten. They already have a heated natural rivalry with Iowa and they’re in Big Ten country. The program has excelled under Matt Campbell but has shown nothing that they’re capable of keeping up that momentum in a post-Campbell era. The Cyclones were consistently a doormat before Campbell’s arrival.

If the Big Ten takes all three of Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State, would the Big Ten be happy at 15 teams? Or would it look o add a 16th? Sorry again, AAC, but Cincinnati might get a call from Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren.

But what if the Big Ten rejects Kansas State and/or Iowa State? In my opinion, those are the two that would have the hardest time finding a home and unfortunately might be the odd men out. The best future home for them? The AAC, of course.

The AAC would benefit from any form of Power Five program joining their ranks, regardless of if it’s looked at as a last resort. Kansas State and Iowa State would add some legitimacy to the conference, especially if the Cyclones can continue their momentum.

Iowa State can win the Big 12 this year, which would give the program a boost. Kansas State has had flashes of greatness in the last few years, reaching second in the BCS poll in 2012 and defeating Oklahoma in two consecutive seasons.

Don’t let the quiet in the rest of the Big 12 fool you: it’s panic time. Is this the end? Or a rebirth? The next 12-18 months will go a long way in determining the future of college football. Good or bad, much of it revolves around the Big 12.

No pressure, Bob Bowlsby.