Chaos Killed The Dinosaurs: Big 12 Expansion Gets Catty With Buyout Cash

It's hard to fathom how the Big 12 expansion/contraction fooferaw could possibly get bitchier, but here we are. Witness before our very eyes the development of a clearly delineated conference caste system:


Via Rivals, the gnarly details, which set the five erstwhile would-be Pac-10 additions above the left-behinds, and the two powerhouse schools above that (along with, for some reason, Texas A&M):

Under the proposed payout, each school in the league is due to receive $2 million each from the $20 million owed by the two exiting schools. Under Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe's proposal, the five Big 12 schools that were to be left behind would sacrifice their share and have that money paid out to Texas, A&M and OU. In that situation, those schools would receive $5.3 million, while Tech and Oklahoma State would receive $2 million.

Make no mistake: This is the unsung Heathers sequel you never saw in theaters, and the Longhorns, et al have laid claim to the coveted red scrunchie. Texas Tech shouldn't have nearly as much to complain about as, say, Kansas, but still: That has to sting. It does appear, however, that the Red Raiders have made their reluctant peace with the deal:


(And they in turn are not nearly as reluctant as Mizzou AD Mike Alden, by the way, who apparently steadfastly refuses to believe any of this is real.)

Yes, it looks like these crazy Bg 12 kids are gonna make their shotgun marriage work. I give it ten months, max.