Andy Staples at SI.com investigates several options the U. of Texas may have in the current conference expansion dance, including… independence?:
If any school could pull off going independent, it’s Texas. The Longhorns are a national brand, and they probably could command a football TV deal similar to the one Notre Dame has with NBC. The issue is the other sports, which would need to play in conferences. Notre Dame enjoys a unique situation with the Big East, which has eight football members and 16 members in all other sports.
It would be geographically inconvenient for Texas to join the Big East in other sports, and if Texas leaves, what’s left of the Big 12 probably wouldn’t welcome the non-football Longhorns. The Mountain West, Conference USA or the Sun Belt would make geographic sense, but Texas might consider itself above joining one of those leagues in any sport.
So what will Texas do? We’ll probably have to wait a few months to find out. When the Longhorns do finalize their plans, Dave Curtis of The Sporting News had a brilliant suggestion for the big reveal. Dodds should take a cue from the nation’s five-star recruits and sit at a table with five hats in front of him.
Unfortunately, it won’t be that easy. Texas will stand at the bar and flirt with her eyes until someone finally asks her to dance.
Then things will get really interesting.