The Big 12 Cannot Become the Big East

On3 imageby:Eric Decker•07/25/21•

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Party at Kemba. Cardiac Kemba. Dave Pasch will still argue with you on Twitter over what you heard that night.

Whatever he said, it was iconic. It was another unforgettable moment at the Mecca of basketball, exemplifying the majesty that was the Big East for decades. For those of us who consider the Northeast home, it was just another one to add on the board to prove that college basketball ran through NYC. It was also the last great moment from the conference before imploding on itself for a few years. And we may be seeing it again.

News of Texas and Oklahoma attempting to join the SEC within the following years feels all too familiar. The Big East couldn’t decide whether they wanted to be a football conference or not despite never having a chance to reach a Power 5 level. That eventually led to Syracuse and Pitt leaving for the ACC and the dominos just fell from there.

The Big 12 poached West Virginia. Louisville and Notre Dame followed suit in going to the ACC. A few years after winning a national title, UConn was in the American Athletic Conference. Which makes it even better that they won another national title in 2014.

The Big 12 faces that same fate currently. Most of the media attention the past few days has been centered on what a potential juggernaut SEC conference could potentially look like instead of what the ramifications could mean for the rest of the schools.

I understand it’s going to be absolutely top-notch entertainment seeing Texas and Oklahoma try and assimilate into the SEC and see where they land competition-wise. Oklahoma would have a legit case to say they would be the second-best football school in the conference behind Alabama almost immediately. Watching Texas try to claim how “back” they are against SEC competition would be a joy. This move would also help boost basketball talent as well, assuming the two schools would do well there. And of course, it ultimately helps every school in the conference because of money. That’s good and all, but what about the Big 12?

The same way the Big East once could say they reigned supreme in College hoops, the Big 12, or whatever name it held at that current time, had a stranglehold on the college football landscape for even longer. When the current Big 12 setup came about in 1996 it still held this dominance. Bob Stoops and Mack Brown were still able to fight each other for conference and national superiority at the beginning of the 2000s. The championships started to fade in numbers, falling in favor of SEC schools. 11 out of the last 15 national champions have come out of the Southeastern Conference. None of those other four coming from a Big 12 school. If you can’t beat them, you might as well join them.

So what happens to the rest of the Big 12 once the two schools make it official and jettison over to the SEC? Does a repeat of 2011 Big East Basketball happen again? It’s all guesses to this point, but logical inclination would lead you to believe that not all of these schools will stay.

The AAC may not be as successful as they hope in recruiting schools, but the sentiment is for sure felt around the country. The Pac 12 and Big 10 will surely be snooping around to see what schools may be trying to escape. None of this is good news for the rest of the conference. It’s not entirely their fault that they’re put in this situation, but now they have to act accordingly in favor of their interests. The future of the Big 12 conference is absolutely up in limbo right now, just don’t let it go down as we’ve seen in the past.

So, what say you Big 12? What’s your move?

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2024-04-24