College Sports Armageddon

Let me get this straight. The Big 10 now has 12 teams and the Big 12 is down to 10 teams? Texas and Oklahoma are on the verge of bringing the Red River Shootout to the Pacific Ocean? Notre Dame still believes that remaining an Independent is a good idea? The Domino Theory used to describe the U.S. foreign policy of trying to contain the spread of communism during the Cold War. Twenty years after the fall of the U.S.S.R., it best describes the monumental shift in the playing field of college athletics. Nebraska has left the Big 12 to join Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State in the Big 10, giving that conference 12 teams. Once the Cornhusker domino fell, Colorado escaped the Big 12 for the Pac-10, leaving the Big 12 with only 10 teams. Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State - and possibly Texas A&M - also seem likely to join the Pac-10, which would then have 16 teams. Texas A&M is also thinking about making a move towards the SEC. Don't ignore the jump that Boise State made from the WAC to the Mountain West, making the MWC a threat to potentially steal the Big 12's automatic bid to the BCS. Are you still following along? All of the upheaval is based around football and the billions of dollars that it generates. By concentrating the best teams in a few super-conferences, the college game can move closer to a true national champion and also hit a financial jackpot. Make no mistake about it, more change is soon to come. The decision makers in South Bend cannot afford to stick their heads in the sand and pretend that they can continue to survive as a football independent. The Big 10 would be wise to make a call to Jack Swarbrick, the Fighting Irish athletic director, and make it clear that trying to go it alone in this climate would be suicide for the Golden Domer's. If the Big 10 can add Notre Dame as the thirteenth school, expect them to look at schools such as Rutgers, Maryland, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Connecticut to make the league a 16-team powerhouse. That brings us to the SEC. You cannot expect Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, and LSU to stand by and watch as their rivals go to the mattresses. Miami, Florida State, and Virginia Tech all make geographic sense for the SEC, which would give the league 15 teams. Texas A&M would be a good choice to run the total to 16 but if they move west, schools like Missouri, Louisville, and Cincinnati could be potential targets. That leaves us with three 16 teams leagues in my scenario. A fourth could be compromised from the leftovers in the Big East and ACC and a fifth would be the Mountain West, who could add Kansas and Kansas State.