More realignment? Say it ain't so

To paraphrase Joker in "The Dark Knight," I once had a vision of a world without conference realignment. Nebraska joined the Big Ten, Colorado and Utah formed the Pac-12, the Big 12 was a tighter and tougher league than ever before, and everything else stayed pretty much the same. And you know what? It was so ... boring.

Not to me, mind you. Or, if it was boring, I was fine with it. Boredom is a small price to pay for, say, making sure Kansas remains a viable high-major conference program, to name but one hoops-related example. Realignment was really more of a set of small tweaks, nothing like the tsunami of overhauls we were all told to expect when the first dominoes began to fall, and that was just all right by me.

And yet, somehow, here we are again. Apparently, Texas A&M is not content with the current -- and still brand new! -- status quo and is considering a move to the SEC, according to a report from the Dallas Morning News. As our own David Ubben explains here, Texas Gov. (and probable Republican presidential candidate) Rick Perry, a notable A&M alum, confirmed that "conversations are being had" about A&M's possible move to the SEC. As David writes:

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe is taking Texas A&M's possible move "very seriously."

"I've been talking to a number of people." Beebe told the Austin American-Statesman. "Obviously, there are a significant number of Aggie supporters who are interested in going in that (SEC) direction." [...] Texas A&M leaders have expressed concern about the Longhorn Network's effect on the longterm stability of the Big 12, and rumors of renewed talks between the university and the conference have persisted in recent weeks.

It makes sense for A&M to consider the move under those auspices; you can hardly begrudge them that. Beebe is quick to point out the risks of realigning to a different conference without traditional rivalries and the like, but individually, the Aggies would probably benefit -- especially on the football side -- were they to pull this off.

The concerns here again boil down to the long-term viability of the Big 12. This might not matter to the football folks, the Texases and Texas Techs of the world for whom basketball is a fun little winter afterthought. It does, however, matter to the rest of the Big 12, the teams that won't be invited along for any realignment parties because they're just not attractive enough when it comes to football revenue, impact, and reach. If the Big 12 doesn't remain viable -- and it almost folded last summer -- then how long can it hold together if it drops to nine members? What will become of the league? And what will become of the basketball programs it currently comprises?

That, as always, is our concern with realignment. Frankly, I don't care what the football folks do. Just don't screw up the basketball side too much, OK? If that's the effect this potential move has on the Big 12, who knows where the carousel will stop this time?

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/33986/more-realignment-say-it-aint-so