Expansion Updates

The Big Ten and PAC-10 are still hovering around the Big-XII, ready to pick it clean for the sake of their own expansion. Rumors have been flying all week, hell for a month now, but we might be getting closer to what's actually getting closer to someone making a move. The cfb landscape is like Europe on the eve of WWI and all we need is a spark...

Austria (P10) and Russia (B10) claiming chunks
of the Ottoman Empire (B12).

All the expansion rumors are now swirling around the fate of the Big-XII. So, what's happened since the big PAC-10 announcement? Here are a few updates:

• Them good ol' boy politicians in Texas might not allow the PAC-10 raid unless the conference is also willing to take, who else, but Baylor. Baylor is a thorn in the side of real Texas football, as Ann Richards forced the Big-XII to take the Bears over TCU back in '95 and now the legislature's back at it again. Guess what? Baylor's not good. And, they're going to be anytime soon. But, academically, Baylor's a great school, so that makes the pill easier to swallow.

• So, who's getting the shaft? Colorado. That's right: the first team the PAC-10 wanted now might get cut in a deal to secure Texas. Jesus, that's fucked up. And here I thought all these history-rewriting, Neanderthal Texans hated "big guv'ment." So, now the Buffs may be looking at the MWC. That is unfortunate. While Colorado is struggling right now, you don't have to go back that far to when they were winning 8, 9, or even 10 games a year. Add int heir own academic prowess and you've got an almost perfect fit for the PAC-10. But, leave it to the Lone-Star state to fuck that up.

• If this major expansion falls through, the Big-XII still won't be secure. They are willing to carry on without Missouri, but Nebraska is a must for good league play and a good TV contract.

• Speaking of Nebraska, they've got 2 weeks to make clear what their intentions are. The Big-XII forced the Huskers' hand at league meetings this week. Despite all the hullabaloo about the PAC-10, this decision could be the real spark to mass expansion. The Huskers say they want out, the Big Ten swoops in, the Big-XII is crippled, and then the PAC-10 cleans up the rest.

• Where do the remnants go? We've still got Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State without a home in all these scenarios. Kansas may be primed for the Big East of all places. The Cats and Cyclones however, may need to explore the MWC along with their dejected Buff brethren.

• Of course, if Nebraska and Mizzou go, the Big-XII could live on as a ten-team league. Or, they could fish for replacements. Rumors indicate interest in Memphis, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Arkansas. Why not TCU? It's a good football program in a great academic setting. But, apparently, the big Texas schools don't want another in-state program poaching recruits.