Big 12 Teetering on Edge of Disintegration

Big 12 Teetering on Edge of Disintegration
Kareem Shaker

College Station, TX

The Big 12 conference is teetering on the edge of disintegration, possibly losing Texas A&M to the SEC and Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to the Pac-12.

Programs like Missouri and Texas have reached out to other leagues such as the ACC and may be on their way out too.

Meanwhile, Big 12 athletic directors were asked to reach out to Arkansas and BYU for inclusion in the 15-year-old conference.

The Big 12 signed a television deal with FOX Sports Media Group for an estimated $90 million over a 13-year period beginning in 2012. Iowa State and other schools may not receive funds after already budgeting in that money.

"The taxpayers of Iowa can't pay if those bonds fall through," a source told ESPN.com. "These are real questions, real situations. I'm not sure how (Iowa State) could waive those (legal) rights (to sue the SEC)."

The shuffling may leave the Big 12 with just five programs, probably an unsustainable amount in its effort to remain viable.