5 Reasons To Expand The Big 12 Conference

With all the insanity that is prevailing in the world of college sports these days, it is time to forge ahead and expand the Big 12 Conference. Wait, did I say that correctly? The Big 12? Isn’t it dead yet?

Far from dead, I suspect, now that the PAC-12 has decided that they don’t want to consider adding anyone else just yet. And since Texas A&M appears to have instigated the latest episode of this mess, let’s just get on with expanding the Big 12 with or without them.

There seems to be a trend of university presidents constantly seeing greener cash, errr, grass on the other side of the conference fence. Of course, cash has a way of doing that to university presidents, much like the BCS. Little thought is put into the long-term ramifications and growth of college sports. But in the case of the Big 12, instead of the ranks diminishing, they should in fact be aggressively expanding. For some reason, schools are jumping ship left and right, yet the Big 12 Conference has all the makings of being one of the premier conferences in the country, and perhaps the FIRST super conference with some intelligent regional involvement.

Here are five reasons why the time is ripe for the Big 12 to expand:

1. Regional rivalries: College sports are about regional rivalries. Ask the fans. Oh, yes, the ticket-buying fans. The ones that will have to travel across the country to see Joey play. Maybe we should ask the fans, otherwise known as a significant stakeholder in college sports, if they want regional rivalries. I am sure the answer would be a resounding “yes”.

Imagine, if you will, the following two potential North and South Divisions of the Big 12 if a proposed expansion took place. Great college rivalries would abound:

Big 12 North (5 current, minimum 3 required): Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State.

Options (in order of regional preference): Missouri (if they decide not to head to the SEC), Tulsa, UTEP, Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, UAB, Tulane.

Big 12 South (3 current, minimum 5 required): Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech.

Options (in order of regional preference): Texas A&M (if they regain their senses and decide not to head to the SEC after all), Rice, SMU, Houston, TCU, Arkansas (lets pull them back from the SEC), North Texas, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Nevada, UNLV.

Instead of waiting around and being left behind, the Big 12 could in fact set the trend of being the FIRST super conference with true regional rivalries maintained in the process.

2. Sport history: The Big 12 has a strong history in football, basketball, and baseball. Of 13 BCS Champions, 2 have been from the Big 12 (second only to the SEC). Oh, and the PAC-12? Zero. The Big 12 also has 7 BCS appearances, tied for first with the SEC. Basketball and baseball have similar histories.

So why is the Big 12 the conference that is thinking about fading away? If anything, the Big 12 has a self image problem, not a success or national profile problem. Seek counseling, and move forward!

3. A Long-Term BCS Future: Sadly, the BCS isn’t going away any time soon. That being the case, any conference realignments, growth, and the like will have to keep this in mind. The Big 12 would have an automatic bid to the BCS in football, especially if it chose the right schools. I am sure the BCS would see too much potential money to ignore a rejuvenated Big 12 Conference.

4. The Student Effect: Oh, right, the student athlete. An expanded Big 12 would be good for the students because they would have good rivalries and not have to travel to the East or West coast to get them. Shouldn’t the discussion at least consider the fact that college sports involve college students? And not just university presidents who don’t have midterms at 8:00 am on the Monday after a Saturday away game?

5. You Can’t Ignore The Middle Third Of The Country: A re-aligned and rejuvenated Big 12 would occupy the vast majority of the center of the college football, basketball, and baseball country. It could span from New Mexico to Kentucky, and from Texas to Iowa. How can that be ignored?

It is, as Deion Sanders would say, “prime time” for the powers-that-be to create the Big-Whatever-Number Conference. Do we really believe that conferences like the Big East, or Conference USA, or Mountain West Conference, or Western Athletic Conference, have the power and/or sustainability in this brave new world of college sports? Surely the Big 12 has a stronger basis for longevity than many of these conferences.

Upgrade the self image, Big 12. Be proud of the past, and get on with being one of the premier conferences in college sports. And do it now!

Photo credits: Wikipedia