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Should Texas Stay in Big 12 or Leave for Another Conference?

By James Caldwell

Oct 3, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the Big 12 logo on the field after the game between the Baylor Bears and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at AT&T Stadium. The Bears defeat the Red Raiders 63-35. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the Big 12 logo on the field after the game between the Baylor Bears and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at AT&T Stadium. The Bears defeat the Red Raiders 63-35. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pac-12
Sep 19, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of Pac-12 logo on the field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before the NCAA football game between the Stanford Cardinal and Southern California Trojans. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

(3) Move to Pac-12

This was almost a reality several years ago. When the Big 12 was facing extinction, the concept was to bring four of five Big 12 schools to the Pac-12 and create a pod system of divisions based on geography.

If Texas were to move out West, that would likely be the system again.

But, it’s so difficult for travel purposes and the academic calendar. Schools out west are on a completely different calendar than most of the country, making it difficult to lump schools from other regions in the Pac-12.

Plus, for basketball purposes, the Pac-12 schedules games on Thursday and a weekend so a team from Arizona can travel to Northern California to play Stanford and Cal on Thursday and Saturday. That is not how the Big 12 maps out their conference schedule, so it would require a big adjustment for Texas.

In football, Texas has a long history of playing Pac-12 schools, especially when they traveled to San Diego to play in the Holiday Bowl seemingly every other year during the Mack Brown Era.

Plus, Texas routinely schedules Pac-12 teams in the non-conference, including this upcoming season against USC.

So, there is plenty of non-conference history to draw from if Texas were suddenly in the same conference as USC and Co.

And, sports fans in Texas are accustomed to staying up late watching West Coast games with the Texas Rangers and now the Houston Astros in the AL West.

That’s professionals, though. Creating that much travel strain on college athletes, fans, and support staff seems like too much.

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