Really? I thought with football arriving that we would be done with all this crap. Leave it to Baylor to suck the fun out of life. I guess they are just pissed that Texas A&M didn't give them Dr. Pepper and long skirted women. Well, time for a quick rundown and some analysis of what's going on.
Texas A&M has been accepted to the SEC:
Well yes, it finally happened, sort of. While it's (supposedly) true that all 12 members of the SEC voted unanimously to accept the Aggies into their conference, Baylor decided to make things interesting. What the hell is going on? Well, it would appear that the Baylor brass finally realized that without the Big 12 their best destination would be the Mountain West Conference, which does not have an automatic bid to a BCS game. It seems that in the 11th hour Baylor moved to block A&M's departure, and try to preserve it's own standing. Funny thing about all this, while the Aggie administrators and fan's all stated they were simply looking for Texas A&M and didn't understand where all the animosity was coming from, those same people are killing Baylor for doing the same damn thing. And please, Aggie fans, don't say that your move didn't impact another school, because that is disingenuous bullshit used to try and make yourselves feel better. Your move impacted 9 other schools and you damn well know it. Now then, what does this mean for the A&M to the SEC move? Probably nothing, but it does tap the breaks so to speak. How does it impact the other 937 conference realignment scenarios? Click the jump and I'll tell you.
Texas tries to save the Big 12:
From all reports Texas is trying everything in their power to save this thing, and will go as far as to reform the Southwest Conference (perhaps under a new name) with the remaining Big 12 schools plus the likes of Houston, SMU, ect, if we leave. It's funny now, at the end, that Texas suddenly cares. The only reason they care is that saving this conference (that they basically run) is in their best interest, but not every other schools. If Texas truly wants to save this thing equal revenue sharing should be the first thing to change, but that will never happen. Even as Deloss Dodds says they are working to keep the Big 12 alive, he offers a caveat that no matter what Texas will look out for Texas. While Baylors lawsuit helps the Longhorn cause (and it may indeed have been a Longhorn move, because UT would look petty and small if they sued, but if they convinced Baylor to sue the end result is the same but UT saves face) I don't think it can save the current Big 12.
Oklahoma State heads west to the PAC with Oklahoma:
This is being reported as an "almost done deal", and if you want more read this fine article by Andy Staples. I'm not going to worry with when it will happen (though the Baylor lawsuit changes things, so I will spend a line or two on it), I'm more worried about who else comes with us. From reading the vastness of the internet, it seems that PAC 12 commish Larry Scott is prepared to announce on Friday that OSU and OU have been invited and accepted offers to join the PAC 12. If Baylor is suing everyone who leaves this could slow it down, but it we (the state of Oklahoma) leave, the Big 12 is done, so Baylor can sue whoever the hell they want, it shouldn't really effect us. Now, as to who's tagging along, as far as I'm concerned, the two Oklahoma schools are going, it's just a matter of time, but what worries me is Texas. I want no part of another conference with Texas. After a year or two of laying low, they will start shit again, my guess would be first asking for more money because they're on TV more (though, looking at their stable of quarterbacks, they might not be on TV as much as their used to), and it's over from there. I'm going to be brutally honest here, a conference can't survive if their isn't a mutual goal. If a school values itself over every other, eventually there will be tension and later cracks in the conference. The University of Texas suffers from what I'll call "Texas syndrome". People from Texas actually believe they are better than everyone else because they were born there. It's almost like racism, but I believe the term for that is ethnocentrism, and the State of Texas is their cultural group. FUCK TEXAS, and I mean that. Please go independent and leave the rest of us alone (and maybe, one day, you'll be able to beat Kansas State).
Well that's about it for now. It's hard to write about this because the situation changes every hour seemingly (unless your Redhawk, who apparently has no job or family obligations to slow his internet-ing down). What do I want to happen regarding Oklahoma State? PAC whatever baby. I know, salvaging the current Big 12 would be best, and trying to add a few teams in the future would be great and all, but Dan Beebe is a shithead and will continue to defer to Texas on every issue, UT are all assholes and will try to maintain their grip on power, and eventually Larry Scott will grow tired of offering us, so I hope we strike now and don't look back (or play Texas when they go independent, to make it hard for them to get a good schedule. I would ask OU to do the same, but they're unable to let go, even though it would screw UT the most).
Go Pokes