Realignment in College Football

"Greed is good."

--Gordon Gekko

The above is a quote from Michael Douglas's character in the film "Wall Street." There are times when I wonder what role would Gordon Gekko play in conference realignment.

In short, the NCAA would probably make sure he wouldn't monopolize all, if not most, of the elite programs in college football in one conference.

In all seriousness, conference realignment has been a hot issue ever since Nebraska announced that they would join the Big Ten last year. Colorado and Utah followed suit by joining the new Pac-12. We also saw Boise State join the Mountain West, BYU become an independent, and TCU announced that they would join the Big East in 2012 (which makes absolutely no sense geographically). At this point, it appeared that the storm of realignment had finally blown over.

Wrong.

As the 2011 season drew closer, rumors began to swirl that the SEC was looking to add Texas A&M (and potentially a few more schools), the Pac-12 was looking into adding Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State, the Big Ten and the ACC both mulled adding schools, and the Big East and Big 12 looked destined to dissolve.

Now that the dust APPEARS to have settled (knock on wood), the only item in stone is that Texas A&M is headed to the SEC. Syracuse and Pittsburgh are leaving the Big East for the ACC, and the Pac-12 decided against further expansion.

This is NOT the end of realignment, folks. Below, I have listed each of the BCS conferences, what they have done in terms of realignment, and what they could end up doing.

ACC. What they've done: added Pittsburgh and Syracuse from the Big East. Expected to do: potentially add UConn and Rutgers.

Big 12. What they've done: Lost Texas A&M (and possibly Missouri) to the SEC. Expected to do: Dissolve. The days of the Big 12 look numbered, as commissioner Dan Beebe announced his plans to step down. Beebe was doing everything possible to build a wall around the conference, but news of his resignation means that his plan may have failed. If dissolving is in fact inevitable,  a potential merger with the Big East may be the only option.

Big East. What they've done: Lost Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the ACC. Expected to do: If they don't dissolve, they could grow. East Carolina has applied for membership in the conference. In addition, Central Florida is a rumored candidate, along with Navy, Army, Air Force, and Notre Dame. Keep in mind that Notre Dame is a member for every sport except football. The aforementioned merger with the Big 12 is also an option.

Big Ten. What they've done: Sat back and watched. Expected to do: If they don't move, the best option may be to grab Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech to counter what the SEC plans to do. More on that later.

Pac-12. What they've done: Announced that they won't be expanding (for now). Expected to do: I'm not expecting commissioner Larry Scott to stick to his guns for a really long time, as their still could be plenty of fish in the sea. Stay tuned.

SEC. What they've done: Added Texas A&M and are possibly adding Missouri. Expected to do: Texas and Oklahoma have been rumored targets along with Virginia Tech and either Duke or North Carolina. This is another "wait and see" situation.

I think the three key players in the realignment race are ACC Commissioner John Swofford, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. The real battle may be between Delany and Slive, as whoever ends up with Texas and Oklahoma will be the big winner. In conclusion, the realignment race is far from over.