Checked on this today: The Big 12 will retain its designation as an Autonomy 5 conference regardless of if it loses two members. Significant from an NCAA governance and representational standpoint. Could it be enough to keep the remaining eight together? https://t.co/jp24fZB17e
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) July 23, 2021
Now that I've had some time to think about it, I have a few questions:
Does "Autonomy 5" mean Power 5? It's kind of hard to believe that an 8 team conference without the flagship schools would be considered P5. It would look like a smaller version of a G5 conference.
Is this authoritative? Who said this and can they be trusted? Again, it sounds too doubtful.
Does this mean the Big 12 champion will still have a guaranteed spot in the expanded playoffs?
BUT, if there is any chance of retaining P5 status, and therefore a guaranteed spot in the expanded 12 team playoff for the conference champ, then it might be in our interest to stick together (the remaining 8) and expand by adding BYU, the service academies, Houston, Cincinnati, etc.
A crazier idea would be for the "Big 12" minus 4 to spearhead the move to super conference & jump the gun on the SEC, etc by creating our own before they do: add those teams plus UCF, USF, Memphis, & maybe other independents, or poach other conferences.
All of this is hypothetical and farfetched and it's far more likely that we are going to end up in a place we don't like very much. The conference does not have bold leadership and dramatic changes would require just that. Texas & OU blew up the plans to expand the playoffs. If that still happens, no one knows what it will look like.