More expansion talk to make your head explode

I know I know, I was surprised too! CONFERENCE EXPANSION!!! Have you seen this, have you heard about this?? Of course you have, unless you live under a rock. Luckily for me, I moved out from my rock a few weeks ago in to a place with windows and cell reception. There's new speculation of a "Pacific" 35 super-conference that would destroy the artist formerly known as the SEC and help ease the pain of the forthcoming USC deathblow that we're all hoping for by adding legitimate MNC contenders in Oklahoma and Texas to an otherwise weak Pac 10. And of course, since this IS an Ohio State sports blog, you've heard of a few other Big XII teams being pilfered by the Big 10, most notably in the forms of Nebraska and Missouri. This officially makes Big XII commissioner THE WORST JOB IN THE WORLD (besides president/CEO of BP).

UPDATE: Kansas chancellor urges Nebraska to stay in Big 12, to avoid serious complications for Kansas.

 Recently the Big 12 commissioner, Dan Beebe, has issued and ultimatum of sorts to Nebraska and Missouri with regards to their supposed interest in leaving for the greener($$$) pastures of the big 10: Are you going to the Big Ten/leaving the Big 12, check yes or no.... and by the way I want to know by Friday, NO PRESSURE!!! Really this deadline isn't as bad as it seems, because quite frankly it holds no water. The Big 12 has zero ability to force Nebraska, Missouri or anyone else in their conference to a deadline to let their intentions be known. It is said that this paper-tiger of an ultimatum was given to keep the 6 teams offered by the Pac 10 from jumping ship. This begs the question, why would Texas and Oklahoma leave because of Nebraska and Mizzou?? They're hardly what the used to be(although IMHO both are on the rise). Both of those teams play in the "weaker" Big 12 north, and don't play Texas or Oklahoma every year. However, they do keep the Big 12's team total at 12, create 2 division, force a conference championship game which the winner of said games gets its' ticket punched the a BCS game if not the MNC and controversy is avoided. With that said, why wouldn't the Big 12 let those two teams go and invite TCU, a former SWC school with natural rivalries with Texas, Texas Tech and A&M, and another team like Boise State or maybe Utah instead of slowly going the way of the dodo bird and the dinosaurs?

 Let's not kid ourselves here folks, the prize is NOT Nebraska or Mizzou, although they would make great additions to the Big 10, it is Texas and maybe Oklahoma. What is the Big12 without these two schools? Nothing. For arguments sake we'll stick with just Texas, as I believe it to be the real big 12 kingpin. Without Texas what do you have? Iowa State, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Kansas, Colorado etc? Those aren't exactly attractive travel destinations as far as Cities. Believe me, I've driven through Oklahoma and it's not pretty. On the converse what do you get if you add Texas?? Answer: You get an instant title contender to your conference, a big fan base and you make your conference the best in the nation(suck it hillbillies of the esss eeee seeeeee, you and your stupid haircuts).

What it all adds up to is more Money. Money makes the world go 'round, CREAM get the money, dolla dolla bills ya'll. I will admit that I had not thought of this(Texas/Big 12 conundrum) until this morning on my drive to work. I'm one of the few Buckeye fans that can listen to and appreciate Colin Cowherd, and it was his(or his producer's) idea and it all makes sense when you think about it. In the beginning, we all pretty much thought that including Texas in the Big10 expansion would never happen, and that it didn't make any sort of geographical sense at all. Now that I've given it some thought, and now that I know that another conference has made the offer I'm a believer; Texas, not Notre Dame has been the big prize all along.

 I just hope, as we all should, that the silence coming out of Delaney's office has merely been secrecy and not inactivity because whoever adds Texas will become the new college football power conference that ESPN sucks up to.(Unless it's the Big Ten because they own a competing network, yay politics!) Just dream with me, there could be a future where Mark May and Jesse Palmer praise the Big 10(or whatever it will be called) for it's depth, speed and athleticism. Then 2012 will come around and the world will probably end. What a way to go out.