While full-blown REALIGNMAGEDDON has been [temporarily?] averted by the noble efforts of the Texas Longhorns to hold the Big XII together, we still have a few small seismic shifts to sort through...
1) It looks like Utah moving to the Pac-10 is "imminent." In fact, the announcement could be made as soon as Friday.
Utah will join the Pac-10 Conference as its 12th team -- with an announcement coming as soon as Friday, a source tells ESPN.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Utah's Board of Trustees will hold a public meeting Thursday afternoon. The meeting agenda was not revealed.
Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson, interviewed Tuesday, would only say that he has been in contact with the Pac-10 regarding Utah.
"I did state yesterday morning that I had not spoken to [Pac-10 commissioner] Larry Scott," Thompson said during a break at the Collegiate Commissioners Association meetings. "Twenty-four hours is a long timeframe."
Asked if it was his understanding that an invitation had been extended to Utah to join the Pac-10, Thompson said, "I don't know. I just need to defer all comments."
The Pac-10 grew by one last week when Colorado accepted its invitation to leave the Big 12. Meanwhile, Scott also attempted to lure Texas and four other Big 12 schools. The conference would have become a 16-team league had Texas joined with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas A&M.
Instead, those schools decided to stay in the Big 12.
When the news came down that Texas and the rest were not joining Pac-10, Scott said he called Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe to congratulate him for saving his conference.
The addition of Utah is likely to bolster the Pac-10's football profile. Since 2003 the Utes have been a powerhouse in the Mountain West -- a perfect 6-0 in bowl games during that span, including a 2-0 mark in BCS games which capped off undefeated seasons.
Additionally, the Utes bring Salt Lake City's TV market, which is the 31st largest in the nation.
I wonder how Boise State feels, to join the Mountain West one week, and then see one of its new conference's best football programs ditch the league the next week? Boise and the MWC's quest to obtain *automatic qualifier* status with the BCS is taking a major shot with the Utes' defection. Could the MWC move to replace Utah? Houston? One of the WAC leftovers, like maybe Nevada or Fresno State? SMU? Tulsa? Blech. These are not great options. I honestly feel bad for the Mountain West. It's a nice little conference with some very good football programs -- Boise, TCU, BYU, and Air Force deserve better.
2) Meanwhile, you gotta believe that adding Colorado and Utah wasn't exactly what the Pac-10 had in mind when it decided to expand. They'll spin it like it's a good thing to get to 12 and the ability to stage a championship game, while also accessing the #16 and #31 TV markets... but the Texas gambit was what Larry Scott gambled on, and he (and his conference) definitely lost that roll of the dice.
3) The Big XII is perfectly content at 10 teams, and won't be looking to make any additions. Their championship game goes by the wayside, but Texas and Oklahoma view this as a good thing --- it's one less potential stumbling block between them and the BCS championship game. Also, a true round-robin schedule will be a very good thing for the conference and its members.
4) The Big Ten has a decision to make: stay at 12 or expand further. As I understand it, the ball is in Notre Dame's court. If the Irish decide to join, the Big Ten will also snatch Rutgers and then stay at 14, or make a move toward 16 by targeting Maryland and Syracuse.
5) The SEC is content at 12, but might be inspired to make a move if the Big Ten gets bigger. Potential targets for the SEC do not include Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech or Clemson, but do include Virginia Tech, Memphis, and potentially Maryland.
6) The ACC wants to stay as is, but if Maryland goes to the Big Ten, the conference's crosshairs will be on Pittsburgh. If the ACC needs to replace multiple teams, the pecking order is probably UConn, Louisville, and ECU, in that order.
It seems like things are settling down quite a bit now. Notre Dame could be the pin in the next grenade, and it could be pulled at any time, so stay tuned.
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