Big 12 Plus Pac-10 equals ?

Originally Published: May 11, 2010 8:37 AM CDT

So multiple sources told WHB radio in Kansas City that Missouri, Nebraska, Rutgers and Notre Dame have all been invited to join the Big Ten conference. Soon after that a report in the Kansas City Star said a source knows that Missouri is talking internally about things, but that an invitation had NOT been made.

It seems things will change in the future, maybe the very near future, and the college football landscape will look much different.

Say the Tigers and Cornhuskers leave the Big 12- then what?

The Big 12 and the Pac-10 have been talking. Just what that alliance would look like isn’t clear, except that it would have to include the heavyweights, the USCs, Texases and OUs of the world. But how big is too big when it comes to superconferences?

I remember when the WAC took that step, including Tulsa in a 16-team league almost 15 years ago. Travel was an issue from the get-go. Rivalries were scarce. Within 5 years 8 teams split off to form the Mountain West. Now Boise State rules the WAC, Tulsa plays in Conference USA, and Utah and BYU still have their battles as Mountain West members.

So how would the Big 12/Pac-10 work? It isn’t like Cal-Colorado is a guaranteed sellout, not even in the smaller capacity of AT&T Park in San Francisco, home of the Giants, when the Golden Bears will play their 2010 home games while renovations on campus are done.

It isn’t about the matchups in the end, it’s about the money, the TV deal. The west coast markets can bring in more eyes, while the Longhorns and Sooners can help make sure those eyes stay tuned. The late starts out west won’t help hold interest in these parts though, so for every 9pm central time kickoff at the Coliseum, add five more 5pm west coast starts for our prime time pleasure.

So, get it right league bosses, get ESPN on board, share the money better.

And please, put Washington State-Iowa State on pay-per-view.