Examiner.com Round Table maps out college football realignment

Big changes are on the way in the college athletics realignment scene. As early as today (Wednesday) Texas A&M could be announced as the SEC's 13th member. Oklahoma says they will make a decision on their conference future in as little as days and within the next couple of weeks. This was a hot topic in our weekly Examiner.com College Football Round Table.

Here is what our expanded panel of college football writers had to say about the topic.

Oklahoma appears to be on the verge of making a move to a new conference home. Claiming they have heard from multiple conferences about joining, the Sooners could upstage any move by Texas A&M. Look in to your crystal ball and tell us where Oklahoma will be playing football five years from now. Does anyone follow them?

Shawn Lealos, Oklahoma Sooners Examiner: Oklahoma should be playing in the Pac-12, starting in 2012. Sources came out on Saturday and said that the Pac-12 is Oklahoma’s main concern right now and later, in the day, the Pac-12 commissioner said “some schools” contacted them. Oklahoma State booster Boone Pickens made the cryptic comment that if the Big 12 dies, “head west.” Oklahoma State already said they would follow Oklahoma wherever they go and expect Texas to do the same, taking Texas Tech with them to create the Pac-16, the first NCAA super conference.

Stephen Francis, Dallas Sports Examiner: I’ve heard three different rumors about the Sooners and all of them could be pretty good moves for them. The first I’ve heard goes back a year ago has reared its head again recently and has Oklahoma going with Texas to the Pac-12. While this would be a pretty good move for them, I think they could do better.

In my opinion, I see the best fit as the SEC. Oklahoma has such a rich football heritage that would fit beautifully into the SEC. Imagine seeing the Sooners routinely travel to places like Tuscaloosa, Fayetteville, Baton Rouge, Gainesville and Knoxville. On the flip side, picture Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU and Arkansas traveling to Norman. That would make for some fun football watching.

However, don't rule out the B1G. That is sort of a "middle-ground" between the Pac 12 and the SEC. Plus if Oklahoma State mobes too it would be a modern-day version of the Big 8 with a rejuvenation to the Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry and a retention of the "Bedlam" rivalry.

Sean Jackson, Ohio State Buckeyes Examiner: They will be in the Pac-12, soon to be Pac-16. If they leave, it is likely Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech follows them.

Gerald Nicdao, San Diego Sports Examiner: The conventional wisdom is that Oklahoma—along with Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State—finally find their home out west, in the first real super conference in the country, the Pac-16.

We were this close to seeing the Pac-16 a reality for this year, as new Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott was more than aggressive in trying to secure an expanded conference, mostly to sign a huge television rights deal. He got his huge television rights deal, without Oklahoma, Texas and 16 teams.

The question is can Scott renegotiate a TV deal if the Pac-12 adds four teams.

Scott told reporters Saturday in Dallas that the conference wasn’t actively seeking out new members. That sounds like coach-speak to me. What seemed imminent last summer—the Pac-16—now seems likely to come within the next year or so (or maybe the next week or so).

Schimri Yoyo, Big East Examiner: I think the Sooners end up in the Pac-Whatever-Number-They-End-Up-Having because it would increase their brand and recruiting arm to the West Coast. However, if they must move, I’d like to see them join the Big Ten (which has 12 schools) and maybe change the conference name to the Big Midwest, so at least they could renew their rivalry with Nebraska.

Rich Kurtzman, Colorado State Rams Examiner: We're in the midst of one of the wildest and wackiest times in terms of conference realignment in well, maybe ever.

Conferences that have been long established and long standing are changing all the time.

The evolution of conferences continues seemingly on a yearly basis, and the biggest rumor going around is that the Big 12 may end up being disbanded.

If it happens, Oklahoma, one of the top schools in the nation, would likely make the move to the Pac-12, which rumors are already calling the Pac-16, as they would almost certainly add multiple teams from the Big 12.

Troy Hyde, Iowa Hawkeyes Examiner: I have said from the time this whole talk began this year that Oklahoma will be in the Pac 12 or 14 or 16 when things are settled. I know for sure they bring Oklahoma State because it has been said that they are a packaged deal. Not sure who the other two teams would be but Texas Tech makes sense. So does Texas.

Kevin McGuire, National College Football Examiner: I consider Texas A&M to the SEC to just be a matter of time (it could be announced Wednesday) and the big question in my mind is whether or not the SEC will go to 14 or 16. I want to believe that if they go to 14 that things will stay away from total realignment and that the Big 12 will find a way to survive, but that appears to be a bit of a reach in all honesty.

I think Oklahoma is going to be the big free agent and some conferences are going to be bidding for their services, with the Pac-12 and SEC being the most likely destinations. I think the Pac-12 makes the most sense, and I believe that they would go to that conference with any combination of Texas, Texas Tech and/or Oklahoma State. I think Oklahoma in the Big Ten would be huge, especially with Nebraska in the conference, but I just don’t know if the Big Ten will include the Sooners with their academic profile.