Texas A&M and Missouri announced this fall they’re leaving the Big 12 for the football dollars and stability of the gridiron-frenzied SEC. The Big 12 responded by convincing Texas Christian to abort their plans to join the Big East and replace the Aggies and then got current Big East member West Virginia to fill Missouri’s spot.
The invitations required little courtship as both schools were eager to jump ship following the announced departures of Big East rivals Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC. The Big East in turn recently announced the additions of Central Florida, Southern Methodist, and Houston as full members of the still-BCS conference and football-only membership for Boise State and San Diego State.
How this shakeup plays out in 2012 should be interesting. The Big 12 has been pushed to the brink of extinction each of the past two years now. Their top-heavy existence has been held hostage by the whims of Texas and Oklahoma—a pair of football powerhouses that were rumored to have been courted by the Pac-12 this past fall only to have their expansion plans put on hold. Should Commissioner Larry Scott change his mind and send out invitations, both schools would be sure bets to leave.
Should it play out that way, the conference would have to raid the Big East once again or become the first major conference since the SWC to fold.
