Or....Why UH is going to be left holding the bag again.
So, Nebraska's out opening the way for a storm of realignments that's projected to end up with UT, aTm, TTech, OU, OSU & Colorado (huh?) heading West in search of the proverbial pot of gold in for from of PacHUGE conference affiliation.
I've no doubt that this will happen, the PacHUGE will roll out their own TeeVee network and thousands of Longhorns will book annual trips to their ideological home base of California. All will be well in PacHUGE land as money will again grow on trees.
Which leaves us with Baylor, Mizzouri, Kansas, Kansas St. and Iowa State, formerly of the (now-defunct) Big XII and wondering how in the hell they're going to fill their dance card and (of primary importance) keep the revenue pouring in.
This is especially hard on Baylor, who is just finally starting to show signs of life after hitting the sports equivalent of skid row during the 90's and early aughts. Kansas still has their storied basketball program so they'll be OK, K-State has well...Kansas and their storied basketball program so they'll be OK as well, Mizzou will probably end up in the Big Tenelven along with Cincinnati (maybe?) Making the league the Big XIV or XVI if Iowa State and a school to be named later decides to fly with them. Baylor however has a problem. Namely, they are going to be stuck sans a trading partner. In the world of major college athletics that's a BIG problem to have.
They're also geographically isolated, not an idea fit for the PacHUGE (which is why financially shaky Colorado will get the nod) and nowhere near any of the other major players. They're a college without a place to dock if the expected plays out.
Assuming one of the above scenarios play out. (The one I see as the most likely involves four "super" conferences of 16 teams each) The best option for Baylor is to cuddle up to Kansas basketball (and by extension K-State) give Boise St. a wink and a nod and go knocking on the Mountain West's door. They're talking about this already in the Rocky Mountain States and it makes a lot of sense. By adding Baylor, the Kansas schools and Boise St. the Mountain West immediately positions itself to take the place of the Big XII in the B(C)S, leaving the WAC, C-SUA, Sun Belt, MAC and whoever else is left standing on the outside looking in.
Which brings us to the University of Houston. My (sorta) alma-mater and perpetual bridesmaid in realignment talks. To be honest, I don't see anywhere for UH to go. IF conference expansion to 16 teams becomes a reality, then I see the SEC bringing in Georgia Tech, Clemson, Miami and Fla. State from the ACC, the ACC cannibalizing the Big East and C-USA eastern division and then???
Possibly the C-USA gets weaker by having to absorb Sun Belt schools and the Sun Belt does what it always does...snap up teams that move from Div 1-AA (Sam Houston, Texas St. etc.) There is a small possibility that Boise St. doesn't want to go, in which case Baylor and the Kansas schools might look to UH as a second option, or they might look elsewhere in the WAC. There are, at least, four or five WAC schools that would bring better facilities and alumni bases to a potential B(C)S member conference (Fresno St. anyone?) than could UH in their current state.
Or, none of this could happen and the Big XII just adds one team and we move on. I don't foresee that happening however, I think we're in for a massive reorganization in College sports ahead of the next round of TV deals.
The question now is: Who gets left out?
I think that one answer of local interest is definitely going to be UH & Rice.
