Taking the Big 12 back to 12

Oh the Big 12--the conference of University of Texas-sized egos.  This is the conference that drove away four members so that Texas could keep their Tier 2 and 3 media rights, only to in the end agree to share its Tier 2 profits after four solid and historic programs, Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, and Missouri had enough and now Texas and Oklahoma look like your 24 year old cousin that still sits at the kids table at family gatherings--way bigger than everyone else but content calling the shots and intimidating everyone around them.

Inevitably this league will go back to 12 at some point.  The status quo now is a conference title game and going without one will only call the credibility of its champion into question.  The internet rumors about some crazy ACC raid and getting Florida St and Clemson are so preposterous I'm not going to even talk about the pros and cons of it.  The real candidates are pretty obvious--Louisville and BYU.

Louisville wouldn't hesitate to bail on the BIG Frank-EAST-ine Monster and they pair well with Notre Dame.  They should have got an invite at the same time as West Virginia and why they didn't still confounds me.

BYU is another perfect fit. Independence is not going to work out for them and here's why:  The Big 10--Pac 12 alliance makes it highly unlikely that either of those conferences will ever want to schedule BYU, let alone agree to a Home and Home.  There's also the MWC/C-USA alliance, merger, or whatever you want to label their facebook-complicated relationship.  A 9-game Big 12 conference schedule also limits the number of BCS schools out there who would have the schedule space for the Cougars.  They can probably get an annual series with Boise St, San Diego St, and Hawaii but that's 3 games in a 12 game schedule.  The WAC schools, if that conference is even still alive after the 2012 season, do not want to play 2 for 1's with BYU and the AQ schools only want to give BYU their own 2 for 1's or 1-and-done pay games.  The point I'm getting at is they aren't going to be able to have enough home games to even make that venture possible.  So BYU wants to have games that wouldn't normally be aired for BYUtv?  I don't see why this is even an issue, let them have those games for Mormonvision.  Texas gets to have games on their own channel; why can't BYU?

Other schools to think about
Cincinnati's name also gets thrown out there but I think their stadium and fan base is just too small to bring the kind of value the Big 12 would want in an expansion candidate.

South Florida is another thought.  It would mean a school in talent-rich Florida.  They have zero commitment to the Big East.  They draw a fairly decent crowd.  They only choke against Big East teams so maybe their choke streak will end if they come to the Big 12.

I hate Boise St but I suppose I have to list them anyway.  Stadium is too tiny.  Market is too tiny.  Turf is too blue.  Other sports suck.  I don't care that they beat Oklahoma in a Fiesta Bowl or TCU in a different Fiesta Bowl.

San Diego St is an-out-of-the-box idea.  I think they would have to have some sustained success in the Big East first but it would be a brand new media market.

How to align it
This is easy.  BYU, Kansas, Kansas St, Iowa St, Louisville, and WVU in the North.  Oklahoma, Oklahoma St, Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, and Texas Christian in the South.  Chances are the winner of the Red River Rivalry represents the South 3 out of 4 years and since it will be played in Jerry's World they will have the home field advantage in the title game.  The league gets to pocket the money from the title game and the winner of that game gets to go on to the post season without anyone pointing out that they didn't have to play a 13th game to win their conference.