Big East/Big 12 Merger on the Horizon?

The ACC’s decision to accept both Pitt and Syracuse show that the tectonic plates of college football are shifting. Texas A&M has already made it known that they are heading to the SEC and a handful of other teams are making strategic moves. UConn is reportedly in the process of following ‘Cuse and Pitt to the ACC and at least three Big 12 teams are strongly considering the Pac 12. With teams quickly abandoning ship one must ask, what does the future hold for the Big East and Big 12?

If teams continue to evacuate the conferences the best option would be a merger between what’s left of the Big 12 and Big East. There are some incentives for such a merger also. It would be a partnership between the East and Southwest so new recruiting avenues would open. Universities like Rutgers, South Florida, and West Virginia could benefit by bringing in more talent from Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Also, teams in the southwest like Iowa State, TCU, and Baylor could rake in recruits from NJ, PA, and Virginia. This move would inevitably diversify the Big “whatever they would call it” and make it a top notch competitor to the Super SEC, Super Big 10, Pac 16, and Mega ACC that we are watching form before our eyes.

A merging of conferences would also bring excitement. Both the Big East and Big 12 are duller conferences than their other counterparts, at least in football. In basketball the Big East is the best show in the NCAA and the Big 12 is pretty interesting as well, but in football the match-ups aren’t as interesting to outside eyes as they are to University alums and faithful fans. They both could use a boost in competition and a mix in match-ups.

If such a move was made we could see a 6 power-conference setting in the NCAA. This would indeed make it very interesting if college football follows what 85% of the fan base wants and switches to a playoff format. As for the Big 12 and Big East, the biggest question is what the name would be. I have $20 on the BIG American Conference!

Image from Cyclonefanatic.com

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