It was during my college football watching infancy that two major realignments changed the national landscape.  In 1991 and 1996 the SEC and Big XII respectively became what they are today.  And let me clarify what they are…monsters.  Financially they are without a doubt ATMs.  The SEC may have been the only sector in 2009 that was truly recession proof.  The Big XII is no slouch either, except when it comes to distributing the wealth the winning programs getting a bigger slice of the pie.  But what did it really mean for football?  You know the game that’s played on the field, not the pinball played in University bank accounts.  Let’s revisit those days of yesteryear and look to the sky for the next bomb to shake up the college football world. 

In 1991, looking to expand to twelve teams, the University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina joined the SEC.  With twelve teams this new “super conference” was able to host a playoff game or as it would soon be known the SEC Championship game.  Eighteen full seasons later let’s see how the realignment paid off.  Eight national champions, three Heisman Trophy winners, and the reputation for having the greatest athletes in the game.  While only adding two above average programs, the SEC became the preeminent football conference in America. 

Following suit in 1996 the Big 8 snatched up four schools from Texas that were exiting the now defunct Southwest Conference.  With twelve members under their belt the newly formed Big XII had strengthened their grip around the center of the U.S. stretching from Ames, Iowa in the North to Austin, Texas in the South.  This opened a serious recruiting pipeline for the original Big 8, who now plunder the fertile Texas recruiting grounds on a yearly basis.  Throw in a lucrative contract with Dr. Pepper for rights to their title game and you had a match made in heaven.  The Big XII’s scorecard since the merger: Three national titles, four Heisman Trophy winners, and nationally prominent programs. 

So what does this have to do with fantasy football?  The best players sign with the best programs.  And the best programs are on TV, have famous award winning alumni, and win national championships.  The Big XII and SEC have all three thanks in no small part to realignment. 

How could rumored realignment shake up the fantasy world?

Rumor:

University of Missouri to switch from the Big XII to the Big Ten.

Impact:
Football is a copy cat sport.  Texas Tech was at the forefront of the spread revolution.  Ten years removed from the Red Raiders introduction of basketball on turf Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Texas A&M, Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State all run a form of the up-tempo, shotgun intensive spread.  Enter the Missouri Tigers.  If Mizzou has early success against the old guard in the Big Ten that is already showing signs of a league wide switch to the spread, you may see this fantasy desert turn into a Big XII look-a-like.

Fallout:
I would envision the Big XII making a hard play to acquire TCU to fill the Tigers shoes, tightening the grip on Texas recruits. 

Rumor:

Colorado and BYU to the Pac-10.

Impact:
Colorado is a sleeping giant.  They have a beautiful campus, solid fan base, and easy access to the talent rich state of Texas.  They could get their act together faster than most people anticipate.  BYU is the real “get” in this deal.  Flashy offense, storied tradition, great fan base, and a desire to spend the money to be a national program.  The Pac-10 could use another national contender to compete with the juggernaut-heavy Big XII and SEC.  Plus the Pac-10 needs more offense to fill up the stat sheet to appeal as a fantasy friendly league.

Fallout:
Ok bear with me.  Boise State moves to the Mountain West along with Nevada to fill the void of departed BYU and TCU.  The Big XII adds Houston to fill in for Colorado.  And the WAC adds SMU and Tulsa.  Conference USA adds North Texas and Florida Atlantic.  The Sun Belt gets shafted. 

New Looks:
Big Ten just adds Mizzou.
C-USA swaps SMU-Tulsa for North Texas-FAU.

Arizona
Arizona State
BYU
Cal
Colorado
Oregon
Oregon State
Stanford
UCLA
USC
Washington
Washington State

Baylor
Houston
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
TCU
Texas
Texas A&M
Texas Tech

Air Force
Boise State
Colorado State
Nevada
New Mexico
San Diego State
UNLV
Utah
Wyoming

So what do you end up with? 

- Big XII gets a great passing team to replace Mizzou in Houston, and a much better overall team in TCU to replace Colorado.
- Big Ten gets an above average program in Mizzou, which could have a ripple effect on their offenses, improving fantasy value.
- Mountain West only a slight downgrade on the field swapping BYU and TCU for Boise State and Nevada, but a major upgrade on their fantasy production.
- WAC remains the same on the fantasy level with an up-and-coming SMU squad and a reliable Tulsa unit joining the fold.  This really shuffles their geography.
- C-USA they lose two great offenses and have to settle for Sun Belt hand me downs.
- Sun Belt…poor Sun Belt. 

Final Thoughts

- A title game in the Big Ten and Pac-10 gives them a recruiting edge, convincing kids they can play for the national title if they win the league.  Better players could mean better fantasy players.
- This will signal a bit of a power shift in fantasy production to the west coast. 
- Big XII would remain a fantasy goldmine.
- Could be the end of C-USA fantasy stars. 

Only problem?  What do you call the Pac-10 (12) and Big Ten (12)?  Pac-12 is functional if not lame, but the Big Twelve is already taken. 

Best suggestions:
Pacific Powers, Wild West, Twelve Pac
Lake Effect Conference, Steel Belt, Giant (Bigger than Big) Twelve