This is no more!
According newspapers in the Cornhusker State, Nebraska will leave the Big XII. Nebraska AD Tom Osborne stated that Nebraska will NOT leave the Big XII without an invitation from the Big 10(11). That invitation should be arriving in 4,3,2,1...
This effectively spells the end of the Big XII. The South division will more or less leave for the Pac-10. Iowa State and Colorado will likely get invitations to join the Big 10(11). Colorado or Baylor, Kansas and Kansas State will be left in the cold.
Stank-0 will not rail on the transformation of collegiate athletics into a money printing machine. My blog compadre Ed did so already. Stank-0 just feels resignation, really. This beautiful Midwestern conference will just die on the vine. Rather it will be picked over. Then spit on. Then left to rot and finally run over while a new freeway is built.
Let Stank-0 dispel the karma thought process. Stank-0 spoke with an A&M alum and the Southwest Conference was collapsing prior to the Big 8 grabbing the Texas contingent. In his words:
Southwest collapsed because A&M, Texas, and Arkansas were leaving...or tried to.
We the fans may never know the real reason the Texas schools are thinking of leaving, but we have an idea. C.R.E.A.M. for the Wu-conscious. It's kinda surprising really. The University of Texas is one of the largest revenue producers in collegiate athletics, but there's always room for cake.
Where to for those left in the cold? MWC, WAC, or Conference USA. Kansas basketball will raise the profile of whatever conference KU decides to join, immediately. Stank-0 would beg AD Perkins to join Conference USA. It's bigger and has better competition (ie Memphis, Louisville).
Hopefully the Pac 10(16) will raise the travel budget for the member schools because travelling from Pullman, Washington to Lubbock, Texas is gonna be tiring and expensive.
This is more than the end of the Big XII. It is now a free for all. Expect the Big 10(11) to make a play for a Big East school and vice versa. Expect the SEC to make a play at a few southern ACC schools (ie Clemson, Miami, Georgia Tech). Then the mid majors will feast on each other and the power conferences will make plays at some mid majors. Notre Dame will finally join with the Big 10(11) or get left out in the cold permanently.
Not to get draped up in hyperbole, but when this is all said and done we may not even recognize any of the mega conferences that emerge. When Stank-0 agreed to become a fan of collegiate athletics, this was not what he signed up for. Next time, Stank-0 will read the fine print.
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