Report: Five Big 12 teams sought move to Big Ten in 2010

The Big Ten could have been the Big 16.

According to Lee Barfknecht of the Omaha World-Herald, five Big 12 schools — Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Kansas and Iowa State — looked at joining the Big Ten in 2010 when the wheels of realignment started to grind.

A Big 12 athletic director, who spoke to The World-Herald on condition of anonymity, said he contacted Big Ten athletic directors and presidents with whom he was familiar in June 2010.

The topic: Was the Big Ten, which had 11 members at the time, interested in adding five Big 12 schools?

The feedback from Big Ten school officials was positive, both sources said. The sticking point was devising a revenue-sharing plan to satisfy all. It would have taken at least three to four years for that many incoming schools to hit the financial payoffs sought for moving.

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!]

As we all know, Nebraska did end up going to the Big Ten, A&M ended up in the SEC with Missouri, and Colorado went to the Pac-12. The Big 12 added West Virginia and TCU just to get back to 10 members, and the Big Ten recently added Rutgers and Maryland to go to 14. And that’s where the conferences currently stand.

[ThePostGame: Nebraska back to Big 12? Not so fast]

For now.

The World-Herald noted that evaluations on Oklahoma and Kansas are ongoing and that a move to 16 Big Ten teams is not out of the realm of possibility.

If the predictions come true that the clock is ticking on the Big 12 sticking together, remember what we previously reported from two sources at Nebraska — the Big Ten has done its “homework’’ to evaluate Oklahoma and Kansas as potential members.

That might explain comments from Oklahoma President David Boren, who said the Big 12 was “psychologically disadvantaged’’ for having just 10 teams. During Big 12 media days last week, commissioner Bob Bowlsby gave a roundabout answer about the fate of the conference’s membership saying some were in favor of expansion, some weren’t and some could be swayed one way or the other, which, in retrospect, seems like more dysfunction than collaboration.

If Kansas and Oklahoma were to jump ship, that would put the Big 12 in a position of having to expand or dissolve. And really, how many schools would be quick to jump to a league that is perpetually on the verge of collapse?

—–

Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook