I thought all of this NCAA conference switching was done, at least for a couple of years. Honestly, I hated the whole process of seeing the Big 12 almost completely unravel before my eyes. Once it was apparent the conference wouldn’t come crashing down, I had a feeling of relief. Now with Texas A&M announcing it’ll be departing, the whole process is starting up again, and I don’t like it.
After all the confusion around the Big 12’s potential collapse, it was good to see the conference pulled out at the last second. The University of Texas had agreed to stay and in the process got what they wanted in the Longhorn Network. While I was celebrating the fact that I didn’t have to see the conference break down completely, Texas A&M was still upset over the events that unfolded. I’m sure the addition of the Longhorn Network hurt their pride some, but I figured it was more important to keep the Big 12 intact. I think that is how most of the fans felt, too. But unfortunately, the school doesn’t care much about the fans or the students. They prefer to focus more on the monetary aspect of college athletics. Thus the Aggies are seemingly eager to head to the Southeastern Conference.
By jumping to another conference, A&M would lose the rivalries it has established during its stay in the Big 12. The annual games against the Texas schools have always been closely watched. Plus, it’s not like A&M doesn’t compete at a high level in the Big 12. Its football team went 6-2 in conference play and its basketball team tied for third last year as well. They’re putting up solid numbers and still have room for improvement. A&M is moving up the ranks in the Big 12 in two major sports. This makes the move seem to come at a bad time not just for the rest of the Big 12, but for the Aggies as well.
Then there is the issue of filling the gap left by A&M’s departure. There have been rumors of a few teams joining. Most have mentioned SMU, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and BYU. Now I’m pretty sure that Notre Dame would not want to come to the Big 12 after being an independent school for so long. I could see BYU and Pittsburgh having some issues with the amount of travel it would take to join a conference in the middle of the United States. That leaves SMU and Arkansas. SMU has taken some good strides in becoming a solid football program since June Jones took over. Arkansas would be a very interesting replacement. Besides the fact that they have a good amount of success in a lot of sports, it would bring Mike Anderson back to Mizzou Arena and fans could get a chance for some payback for bailing on us earlier this year.
This is a very messy process full of speculation and doubt. It leaves college sports fans with many unanswered questions. No one is sure what will happen next, because there are no clear indications. I hate the conference realignment and I hope Texas A&M does stay. But even if they don’t, I think the Big 12 will survive again.