Texas A&M has officially pulled the trigger on its exit from the Big 12 and move to the SEC. Technically, A&M is only reporting its intention to "submit an application to join another athletic conference." As shown in the above diagram made from my old Big 12 t-shirt, which I bought upon my arrival to the Texas Tech faculty in 1997, Texas A&M is the third school to leave the conference.
The story is far from over, as each conference presumably needs to get back to an even number of members, 10 or 12 for the Big 12, and 14 or 16 for the SEC.
ESPN.com's David Ubben evaluates possible contenders to join the Big 12. Brigham Young University is the leading school mentioned as a potential new member. BYU had previously announced its plans to leave the Mountain West Conference to go independent in football and join the West Coast Conference in other sports. Conceivably, BYU could align with the Big 12 for football only. Some schools from the old Southwest Conference (e.g., Houston, Southern Methodist) that got left behind when Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Baylor merged with the old Big 8 to form the Big 12, would probably be interested in joining this time around.
Of course, the Big 12 could in reality be a house of cards, with Texas perhaps entertaining ideas of becoming an independent in football. The school already has its own Longhorn Network with ESPN. Also, Missouri and/or Oklahoma (with Oklahoma State) could follow Texas A&M to the SEC. Should the Big 12 implode, schools such as Texas Tech and the Oklahoma schools (if they aren't in the SEC) could seek membership in an expanded Pac 12.
Other schools rumored to be targets of the SEC include Florida State, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Louisville.
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