College Football Realignment?

Last September I wrote a post questioning the wisdom of putting a College Bowl game in New York City. The game was to ostensibly be between a team from the Big East and a team from the Big 12. At the time I said I could sort of understand the rationale of the Big East as they consider New York home turf but I was baffled at what the hell the Big 12 was thinking.

Now perhaps it becomes clearer as a possible gambit to breathe some life into a faltering organization.

The Big 12 appears to be on the verge of dissolving. The conference is being gnawed at by very aggressive PAC-10 and Big 10 conferences bent upon expansion. Colorado announced today that it would leave the Big 12 for the PAC-10 and Nebraska is expected to announce on Friday that they are joining the Big 10. Missouri is rumored to be planning on following Nebraska and the PAC-10 is supposed to have also extended invitations to Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The remaining four schools, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State appear to be out in the cold.

The University of Texas is clearly the big Kahuna here. If it decides to stay, the conference will most likely survive; if it decides to leave, the conference will most likely dissolve.

The Big East may not be in such good shape either. Rutgers is rumored to be being courted by the Big 10 as well and the ACC always seems ready to raid the Big East cupboard.

Obviously if either the Big East or Big 12 dissolves, so much for the bowl game in New York City unless another sucker, I mean participant, can be located.