I didn't say "National Championship Football" - I said "fascinating".
I'm obviously hoping Texas gets its competitive act together, but that's a different post. While Texas has been floundering, Iowa State made itself competitive. TCU can't seem to do anything but win against the big boys, and then lose to Baylor when it matters. OU is marching to the playoffs when KSU kicks the chair out from under them. Tech, well, Tech mocks you when they beat you and shrugs when they don't.
For the joy of the sport, I wish the Big 12 could stay together. Heck, I wish we could bring back TAMU, Arky, and certainly Nebraska. Ain't gonna happen, but it would be fun.
The Big 12 is a remnant of two conferences full of teams with nowhere else to go (doesn't mean they're bad or non-competitive) and Texas. Texas is the big anchor store at the mall. Texas will always be profitable and in demand. They can keep the property going, but not if all the other shops have "for lease" or "going out of business" signs.
If college football were just about playing ball, the Big 12 has a lot to recommend it. That's not reality though. Reality is that the Big 12 has no pathway to getting bigger, and infinite pathways to collapsing. I still hope it doesn't, but I know that any one of the 10 schools leaving will kill it. Any AD understands that he should keep his Rolodex handy.