Big 12 faces difficult decisions in wake of Texas A&M move

  "The presidents and chancellors of the nine remaining member institutions are steadfast in their commitment to the Big 12. The conference will move forward aggressively exploring its membership options," Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe said.

In College Station, Texas A&M athletics director Bill Byrne detailed the reasons behind the school's decision in a blog posted on the Aggies' website Wedneday.

Byrne said that the departures of Nebraska and Colorado and the creation of the Longhorn Network made the Big 12 "considerably different" than it was last summer — although he pledged his allegiance to the league after those departures.

"There have also been other developments during the past several months that have caused a great deal of uncertainty within the Big 12," Byrne wrote. "You all know the landscape of the Big 12 Conference was altered by the creation of the Longhorn Network."

He mentions the network's attempts to televise high school games and the "attempt to coerce Big 12 schools to move their football games in Austin" to the network. Byrne also said that Texas A&M was not offered the chance to join the Longhorns in the venture.

Assuming the Aggies head to the Southeastern Conference, what's the future of the Big 12, which will have nine teams after also losing Nebraska (Big Ten) and Colorado (Pac-12)? The Big 12 has formed a committee to examine schools that might be added. There could be as many as three.

"The (remaining) nine schools are going to approach this like it's a coaching search," Iowa State athletics director Jaime Pollard said. "It's kind of like a coaching search in the way you go about things and evaluate things."

TCU would have been an obvious choice, but the Horned Frogs are joining the Big East in 2012. Brigham Young is starting its first season as an independent and confirmed that commitment Wednesday. SMU, formerly in the Southwest Conference and now in Conference USA, has expressed interest. Houston and Boise State, which recently joined the Mountain West, are other possibilities.

The Big 12 could take further hits in coming weeks. If the dominoes continue to fall, four super conferences of 16 teams each might be the eventual end game.

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott has repeatedly said megaconferences are the next wave of change. Will the league flirt again with Texas and Oklahoma?

"We have no current plans to expand the Pac-12," Scott said Wednesday. "However, I have made clear my vision that the health, stability and future of college athletics will likely include further consolidation and re-alignment.

"While I cannot predict if and when this might make sense for us, we will listen to and evaluate any scenario that would benefit our member institutions, our student-athletes and our fans."