There was a fairly decent chance that, if the Pac-10 had been able to swipe half of the Big 12 and get to 16 teams, the Big Ten would’ve quickly followed suit to get to a 16-team level.
In that case, the Big Ten likely would’ve looked to add teams from the Big East, a move that could’ve shattered that conference.
When Texas and four other schools opted to remain a part of the Big 12, there were likely quite a few people all across the collegiate landscape who were happy to have at least temporarily derailed the formation of a super conference. Perhaps none were happier than Big East commissioner John Marinatto, who decided to display his happiness over the events of the last few days in a very unique way.
According to Brett McMurphy of Fanhouse.com, Marinatto sent ten red and ten white roses -- oddly enough, the chosen colors are eerily reminiscent of Nebraska, which bolted for the Big Ten -- to Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe with a one-word card attached: “Unity”.
“The color combination signifies unity and 10 -- rather than a dozen -- represented their new membership number,” Marinatto told Fanhouse.
So, ummm, that’s that.