Well, this week, stuff actually happened. First, there was news that Colorado would leave the Big 12 Conference to join the Pac-10 Conference, starting play in 2012. Then, the Big 12 was gashed again, this time by Nebraska, announcing that they would join the Big Ten, starting play in 2011. Now, Boise State has announced that they will leave the Western Athletic Conference (The WAC) for the Mountain West, starting conference play in 2011.
Who it benefits
Nebraska - From a business/money standpoint, the payout from The Big Ten is going to be bigger, allowing the program to upgrade the facilities and put money toward recruiting, which in turn, will hopefully put Nebraska back in the conversation about "National Championship" contenders. Geographically, it makes better sense. Nebraska is more of a Midwestern school, closer to Iowa and Wisconsin than it is to Oklahoma and Texas. Speaking of which, in the Big XII, four of the 12 schools are located in Texas. The league office is located in Dallas. To top it all off, the conference picked Cowboys Stadium to host the next three championship games, potentially leaving Nebraska fans holding their corn if The Huskers made it to the game. The Big 12 is a Good Ol' Boy Conference.
The Big Ten - More schools may be added to the conference, but regardless of that, the conference now can have a championship game. With that, league play will extend into December, keeping the conference in the minds of BCS voters when picking participants for the "National Championship Game."
The Mountain West - Thanks to that 2007 Fiesta Bowl, Boise State is a household name, making it an attractive choice for nationally televised games. On top of that, the team is one of the elite in college football. The Mountain West already had a sound reputation with solid programs like TCU, Brigham Young, Utah, and Air Force. Adding the Broncos makes it concrete.
The Pac 10 - The Buffaloes may not strike fear in the hearts of its opponents like they did in decades past, but getting Colorado grabs the Denver TV market. The Pac-10 has always struggled to gain the same kind of exposure that eastern schools have received. Due to the time zone that most of the schools play in, most of the conference's games are played later in the day, sometimes making any big win an afterthought if an eastern school has already had one. It may seem small, but getting a market outside the timezone is big.Who it Hurts
The Big XII - This spells the end for the conference. Colorado leaving is not a big deal, but Nebraska is a charter member going back to the days of the Big 8. What kind of message does that send to the other member schools? This has opened the flood gates.
Boise State - This realignment could have really helped the Broncos. They've played well enough to attract interest from BCS schools. The Mountain West is not a BCS conference. Their chances of playing in a "National Championship" game are still slim. This offers no benefit competition-wise and does not help their credibility in trying to break into the BCS year after year.
Colorado - Above, I talked about how the Big XII is really a Good Ol' Boy conference with the focus being on the Texas area, and leaving the northern member schools holding their you-know-whats . This applies to Buffalo, but competition-wise, in plain English, they're gonna get creamed. Forget about conference play, last year, the team had trouble with Toledo and Colorado State, both non-BCS schools. While a lot of players in the Big XII come from talent-rich Texas, California has just as much talent, and a lot of players in the Pac 10 come from there. They don't start conference play until 2012, so they have some time to try and beef up the team with players who will help them compete with some of the Pac-10's elite. If not, they better bring Ralphie the Buffalo along on road games and have the handlers lead him over the opposite teams best player. I'm sure there will be more realignment, but so far, this is how it looks. Stay tuned.
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