OU, UT to SEC Looking More and More Likely

From ESPN.com, things seem to be moving forward with the potential departure of Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12 to the SEC. If completed, the move would give the SEC 16 teams. Considerable media attention has been focusing on the implications for other prominent conferences. Will the Big 10 (which has 14 teams) and Pacific 12 also try to get up to 16 teams? Will Notre Dame finally join a conference for football (the Fighting Irish are part of the ACC for other sports)?

Here in Lubbock (and in other Big 12 cities, I suspect), people are speculating on what will happen to the eight schools (potentially) left behind after OU and UT are gone (although the Big 12 started out with 12 schools in 1996, it has had only 10 schools since the last major conference-realignment shuffling about 10 years ago). Though the Big 12 could try to build back up, others believe it would dissolve and its teams disperse.

Many are speculating that the Pac 12 might want to bring its membership up to 16. If so, it could absorb up to four Big 12 schools, possibly those that are in the southwestern U.S. (Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, TCU, and Baylor). I have also seen conjecture that Iowa State and Kansas State might be of interest to the Pac 12, along with Boise State and BYU (although some observers see obstacles to BYU joining the Pac 12). 

The University of Kansas (KU) and perhaps Iowa State have been mentioned as two schools that could bring the Big 10 up to 16 teams. Both are members of the academically prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), as are nearly all of the current Big 10 schools.

West Virginia, which alone among Big 12 schools, is in the eastern U.S., perhaps would land in the ACC.