Dysfunctional or not, the Big 12 is staying as one big family, except for Nebraska and Colorado who bolted for seemingly greener pastures. Now with ten schools in tow, Oklahoma blog Crimson And Cream Machine ponders the question, “Is it worth it to re-expand back to twelve or is the conference fine with ten?”
The television contract that was negotiated appears to be for a 10 team conference, which leaves me a little skeptical that Dan Beebe will try to add any teams. Money off TV revenue was his big selling point for keeping the conference together, and adding two more teams in the mix would probably mean a lower bottom line for most teams in the Big 12.
This is not addition by subtraction. We are perceived by the rest of the country as having done nothing except reacting too late and letting two of our core members walk away. We will be seen as a conference that is moving towards a traditional power structure – no conference championship game, and a couple of powerhouse teams that can afford to relax on the last week of the season.
If the conference does expand, the list of possibilities seems to range between BYU, Utah, Arkansas, Memphis, TCU and even Notre Dame.