Would Texas Go to the ACC?

As it becomes more and more likely that Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M leave the Big 12, attention now turns to figuring out what Texas will do.

Texas has wielded all of the power in conference realignment in the past, but now it looks like its hand might be forced.

The Austin American-Statesmen reports that if Oklahoma leaves for the Pac-12, Texas will have three options: follow Oklahoma and join the Pac-12, go independent and potentially put its non-football teams in another conference, or perhaps join the ACC as a full-fledged member.

The most interesting option is the last one -- would Texas really join the Atlantic Coast conference?

It's possible, according to the report.

Texas is still working hard at keeping together the Big 12 together, but if it implodes as expected, the school will look for other options. Most seem to speculate that Texas will just go independent for football like Notre Dame, which is a possibility, but the newspaper says it's an option that athletic director DeLoss Dodds isn't keen on.

Texas would be able to keep its newly created Longhorn Network if it joined the ACC, plus the school is allegedly intrigued by the conference's idea to divide the conference into four different pods of four teams each.

That would likely mean more expansion for the ACC and that Texas could possibly bring along in-state Texas Tech with it.

Texas joining the ACC seems impractical at first, but makes more and more sense when you think about it. It's not the geographic match that the Big 12 currently is, but that's a moot point going forward.

Texas could pair up in football against Florida State, Miami, and Virginia Tech, plus the ACC could always add West Virginia to further expand the conference. Those games don't have the same initial appeal of the Red River Rivalry, but could develop into something over time.

Additionally the school's other main sports, basketball and baseball, could also fit in well with the ACC sports culture. Basketball coach Rick Barnes came to the school from Clemson and women's basketball coach Gail Goestenkors came from Duke, so the background is there.

Texas would get a soft landing spot for its sports and newly built television network, while the ACC would get a much needed credibility boost. The conference is by no means weak, but often is overshadowed by the other major football power conferences. Adding Texas would allow the ACC to stack up better against the SEC and Big 10.

This sort of major move is likely a long time away and probably a longshot at best, but it does make sense for Texas to consider jumping to the ACC when you think about it.

Texas probably has more options than any other school in the country, but whether you believe it or not -- could end up in the ACC.