A Different World – Texas' newfound power structure

A series re-examining the leagues after the recent conference re-alignments. First up: the Big 12

The Big 12 lost two teams in the re-alignment shuffle. Depending on your perspective, that could be a good thing or a bad thing. I'll start with economics and then take a look at football and basketball

Economics: For Texas, this deal was the new meal ticket. It certainly appears that Texas played the entire country like fiddles in the changing landscape. They got rid of the one rival that truly opposed them and may have had some power to block some of the Texas-centric legislation. The Longhorns have total control of this league, a new network with a ton of money and with that money and the network comes competitive advantages to win and continue bringing in more money.

For Oklahoma and Texas A&M, it is business as usual. They get more money out of the deal with the same exposure. While A&M in particular seemingly lost some leverage with no super conferences being formed and therefore no reason for the SEC to expand and give the Aggies a new home away from the economic behemoth in Texas, the money will still roll in for the Sooners and Aggies.

For the other Big 12 South schools, they are huge losers. They are now second class citizens in their own league financially (even more so than they were) instead of reaping the benefits of the Pac-16 idea. No scenario other than status quo (that changed when Nebraska left) and Pac-16 would be good for Texas Tech and Oklahoma St.

For the remaining schools from the Big 12 North, good luck and godspeed. You will need it. The result that occurred makes them winners because the alternative is irrelevance or increased travel to either the Mountain West or Big East. You won by staying alive, but lost financially in this deal even if you make more.

Football: Its never a good thing for football credibility to lose one of the most storied programs in the history of the sport. Nebraska is certainly that. The Cornhuskers are basically irreplaceable and not having them in the league weakens the league greatly. Colorado, while not as big a loss, is still a big loss as well. It's not a good thing to lose programs with recent national titles and the Buffs 1990 split title is more recent than such luminaries as Penn St., Georgia, the entire Big East and the whole Pac-12 other than Washington and USC. Also, while down the last five years or so, it wasn't that long ago that Colorado was finishing a stretch of four division titles in five seasons and being percentage points in the BCS computer from playing for the national title in 2001 (they never would have beaten favored Miami though).

What the league loses in perception and history, it will gain back in other areas though. The full round robin schedule with nine conference games will help cover the loss of Nebraska and the loss of the Big 12 Title game that, as least in this league, was more of a problem to national title hopes than in other leagues. A slight upgrade in non-conference scheduling should also follow and that is certainly welcomed in the court of public opinion and in perception. Also, and team from the former Big 12 North will no longer be slighted if they win the league. There is no weaker half and pull an upset any longer. Titles will be earned. Also, the Pac-10 showed that a 10 team league can, in the right circumstances produce an at-large BCS team so there is little to worry about in that vein unless Texas continues to struggle for a few years.

Basketball: Everybody wins. This just became the deepest overall league in the country with no bottom dwellers in it. Colorado and Nebraska were the bottom dwellers. While other leagues have major issues at the bottom (the Big 10 has Nebraska and never been to the NCAA Tourney Nebraska, the SEC has Auburn and the rest of its awful cohorts in the West, the Pac-12 has Colorado and Oregon St., the ACC has Miami and the Big East has DePaul, Rutgers and Providence), there are no easy games in the new Big 12. Certainly, this league has a chance to produce a number one seed every season and should get half of its 10 teams in the tournament each season. Everybody with the possible exceptions of currently rebuilding without a ton of tradition Texas Tech and Iowa St. should be excited as should the fans.

Overview: Texas is a winner in every sense with the new network. Other than them, everybody except lesser Big 12 South rivals Oklahoma St., Texas Tech and Baylor should be happy. Oklahoma and Texas A&M keep the status quo, and the Big 12 North schools continue to make money and get a few wins every so often to be the cannon fodder they pretty much always have been for the south schools while dominating in their preferred basketball.