College Football's Next Superpowers?

Is Oklahoma State the next program to enter national prominence?

-by Braden Gall (@AthlonBraden on twitter)

In the 1980s, it was Florida State, Miami and Colorado. In the 1990s, it was Florida, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech and Kansas State. In the 2000s, it was Oregon, TCU, Boise State and Utah.

For a variety of reasons – coaching, support, media exposure, recruiting base – each of these programs blossomed into the full-throated college football monsters that we see every Saturday.

COMMENTS

Who Will be the SEC's 14th Team?

Will Virginia Tech be the SEC's 14th team?

By Steven Lassan and Mitch Light

Texas A&M has announced its intentions to apply for membership in the SEC. The Aggies intend to join the SEC in time for the 2012 season. However, the conference can't stay at 13 teams forever. Which teams could be on Mike Slive's wish list to be team No. 14?

SEC Expansion Candidates

COMMENTS

Impact of Texas A&M Leaving the Big 12 for the SEC

Texas A&M will become the 13th member of the SEC in 2012.

by Steven Lassan (@AthlonSteven on Twitter)

After a lengthy process, Texas A&M has officially said goodbye to the Big 12 and is off to the SEC. The Aggies nearly made the move in the summer of 2010, after Texas and a couple of other Big 12 teams nearly left to create a Pac-16 conference. However, there’s no turning back now: Texas A&M is the 13^th member into the SEC.

COMMENTS

Big 12 On Life Support; Superconferences Coming Soon?

With Texas A&M basically gone and OU unhappy, the Big 12's days are numbered

By Steven Lassan (@AthlonSteven on Twitter)

It seems college football is preparing for a major shift in conference realignment very soon. Although the 2011 season is just getting underway, the race is on to get conference affiliation finalized in time for 2012. The first domino is ready to fall, which could spur several teams to change conferences.

COMMENTS

College Football's Superconferences

-by Braden Gall (@AthlonBraden on twitter)

The end of the world is not upon us. The sky isn’t falling.

And the gates of hell are not opening to swallow conference commissioners, university presidents or TV executives anytime soon.

COMMENTS

Baylor Threatens To Keep Texas A&M in the Big 12

Will Baylor's threat of legal action be enough to keep the Big 12 together?

In an attempt to save the Big 12 from crumbling, Baylor is considering legal options against Texas A&M and the SEC. This twist is just the latest in a bizarre saga involving the Big 12, especially after Nebraska and Colorado left the conference after the 2010 season.

COMMENTS

What the Birth of the Big 12 Tells Us About Its Current Struggle

As the Big 12 struggles to stay alive, we look back at its birth to see if history is repeating itself.

This article about the death of the Southwestern Conference and subsequent birth of the Big 12 originally appeared in the 1995 edition of Athlon's Big Eight magazine. As Texas A&M prepares to move to the SEC, leaving the future of the Big 12 up in the air, we feel this piece is worth revisiting as history seems to be repeating itself.

By Ivan Maisel