Weekend Realingment recap.

Sunday

8:15 a.m.: ESPN's Doug Gottlieb reported via Twitter that a high-ranking Texas A&M source told him that "Clemson, FSU (and) Missouri (are) likely to join" the SEC. (Source)

9:16 a.m.: Gabe DeArmond of PowerMizzou.com reported that a conference call between Big 12 athletic directors and league commissioner Dan Beebe has been scheduled for 3 p.m. this afternoon. Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne is not expected to be on that call. (Source)

10:48 a.m.: Missouri athletic director Mike Alden told DeArmond that Missouri has not had any discussions with the SEC. (Source)

10:51 a.m.: Level was told by a high-ranking Texas Tech official that has spoken with the involved parties at Missouri that MU is not looking to leave the Big 12. (Source)

11:05 a.m.: The New York Times' Pete Thamel reported that a high-ranking SEC official told him that there is "a 30 to 40 percent chance that the (SEC) presidents could vote against Texas A&M's membership." Eleven of the 12 SEC presidents are scheduled to meet tomorrow at 10 a.m. to discuss the league's potential admission of A&M. (Source)

12:05 p.m.: Carey Murdock of SoonerScoop.com is reporting that Texas has hired a lobbying firm -- owned by a Baylor grad, interestingly enough -- to help convince the Texas state legislature to block Texas A&M from leaving the Big 12. (Source)

12:20 p.m.: Thamel reported via Twitter that another high-ranking SEC official "called to say (angrily) that any report involving Clemson, FSU and Missouri is totally wrong." (Source)

12:31 p.m.: Dan Branch (R-Dallas), the chairman of the House Higher Education Committee, told the Austin American-Statesman today that it would be "highly inappropriate" for Texas A&M to "complete or accept an offer to (join) the SEC" without "giving legislators a chance to ask some questions." (Source)

2:06 p.m.: OrangeBloods.com's Chip Brown spoke with Rep. Branch as well, and Branch indicated that it may take weeks for A&M to finalize any conference move.

"It's my understanding the regents meeting on Monday is to begin negotiations, not complete them - assuming the SEC extends an offer," Branch said. "It would be important to the Legislature that the regents not complete anything before lawmakers get to ask some questions. (Source)

"It's my understanding from talking to A&M officials that it may take a week or two weeks to finalize any conference realignment anyway."

2:36 p.m.: The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel is reporting that "multiple OU sources" have told him that Missouri's departure from the Big 12 "would effectively doom the conference." (Source)

3:09 p.m.: Officials at Clemson, Florida State, Virginia Tech have all denied contact with the SEC and affirmed their commitment to the ACC.

Clemson president James Barker spoke to the Charleston Post and Courier and said that Clemson has "had no contact at all (with the SEC)" and is "committed to the Atlantic Coast Conference."

Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver told the Newport News Daily Press that VT has "always wanted to be in the ACC" and that it wouldn't make sense to "go somewhere else when we finally have what we want." (Source, Source)

3:14 p.m.: BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe told CBSSports.com's Brett McMurphy that BYU is "very happy as (an) independent" and that BYU has not been contacted by the Big 12.

3:55 p.m.: Matt Hayes of the Sporting News is reporting that, according to a high-ranking SEC official, presidents of the SEC's member institutions "will not meet on Sunday," this runs contrary to multiple reports from earlier in the day. The source also confirmed to Hayes that "there is no chance of the (SEC) expansion stretching beyond 14 teams." (Source)

5:02 p.m.: Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman is reporting, as our multiple other outlets, that the Big 12 presidents will hold a conference call with commissioner Dan Beebe at or around 5 p.m. (Source)

5:13 p.m.: Level has confirmed that Texas Tech president Guy Bailey is currently on a teleconference with other Big 12 presidents and commissioner Dan Beebe.

5:28 p.m.: A statement made by Rep. Branch regarding the Longhorn Network in February has, within the last 25 minutes or so, started to make the rounds on the blogosphere and Twitterverse. Branch essentially argued that it wouldn't be fair for the legislature to cut Texas' state funding just because the university could offset that with revenue from the Longhorn Network.

"I do not think that this Legislature ought to penalize people who are going out and maximizing their assets and getting a higher return and finding revenues that are not tax-based, because I think that's exactly what taxpayers want us to do with our public institutions." (Source)

5:32 p.m.: Texas A.D. DeLoss Dodds told Bohls a few minutes ago that "everyone (in the Big 12) wants (Texas A&M) to stay." Dodds also said he didn't know if A&M was leaving for sure. (Source, Source)

5:49 p.m.: I know several of you have asked on Twitter and via email about Texas Tech's stance on this whole thing. The last official statement the university made on this issue, as far as I know, was to Mike Graham on Thursday.

Graham attempted to contact Tech A.D. Kirby Hocutt that afternoon, and was emailed this statement by a Tech official: "(Hocutt) stands behind his previous comments on the league. Until the status quo changes, that's our stance"

We have tried to contact Hocutt today but have not been successful.

5:56 p.m.: From what Level has heard, Texas A&M to the SEC is all set but nothing will happen until the SEC can agree on a 14th team or until a 14th team agrees to join the SEC. That is a major sticking point right now. We're trying to further confirm this, but Level is hearing this from multiple sources right now.

5:59 p.m.: ESPN-Waco's David Smoak has reported via Twitter that a high-ranking Big 12 official has told him that Beebe will issue a statement soon and that A&M to the SEC is "not a done deal." In fact, the SEC "may be having second thoughts on adding another team" and "Texas politics (are) slowing things down." (Source)

6:25 p.m.: Thamel is reporting that tomorrow's meeting between SEC presidents is still on, and all 12 of them will be involved -- one president will participate via speakerphone. (Source)

6:53 p.m.: Orangebloods.com's Chip Brown is reporting that the nine Big 12 A.D.s that participated in today's conference call -- every A.D. but Texas A&M's Bill Byrne -- "pledged their commitment to a nine-member conference" during the call. The A.D.s also decided that if A&M did leave and the league expanded, "it would be by only one school."

According to Brown, the early candidates would include BYU, Air Force, TCU and Houston.

Brown is also reporting that an official at a Big 12 school said, "If you asked me last night, I would have said it was 90 to 95 percent that Texas A&M was gone to the SEC. Now, I would say either 50 percent or less. The SEC meeting on Sunday is huge. If they hit the pause button, I don’t think it happens." (Source)

9:20 p.m.: The Big 12 has issued this statement regarding Texas A&M's potential move to the SEC: "The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors conducted a teleconference meeting today to discuss the future of the Conference given recent developments regarding Texas A&M University. The Board strongly conveyed to Texas A&M its unanimous desire that it remain a Big 12 member, and acknowledged its value to the Conference. The Board noted that Texas A&M expressed concerns about institutional networks and that the athletics directors worked together and took actions, which the Board has approved, to adequately address those concerns. The other nine members reaffirmed their long term, unconditional and unequivocal commitments made to each other and the Conference last summer. Although the Board hopes Texas A&M remains in the Conference, the Board is prepared to aggressively move forward to explore expansion opportunities. In doing so, the Board recognizes the strength of the Big 12 Conference national brand and the opportunity to capitalize on it."

9:31 p.m.: Tech has announced that Kirby Hocutt will be made available to the media Sunday at 3 p.m.

10:16 p.m.: Orangebloods.com's Chip Brown is reporting that Sunday's SEC presidents meeting has been canceled. (Source)

11:17 p.m.: Texas Tech president Guy Bailey spoke with the Lubbock paper this evening and confirmed that Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin participated in some of the Big 12 presidents' teleconference today.

SUNDAY

9:13 a.m.: Multiple outlets, including the AP, are reporting that the SEC presidents meeting is still on for today.

2:32 p.m.: SoonerScoop.com's Carey Murdock is reporting that he has confirmed with a couple of sources that "Missouri has an intermediary talking with the SEC." Murdock is also hearing that SEC commissioner Mike Slive won't be taking another Big 12 because he doesn't want the SEC "to be seen as the conference [...] that split up the Big 12."

Furthermore, Murdock is saying that "BYU continues to be the strongest candidate to replace Texas A&M" and that "the Big 12 was '90 percent' behind bringing in BYU as of last night."

3:24 p.m.: The SEC has released this statement regarding expansion:

"The SEC Presidents and Chancellors met today and reaffirmed our satisfaction with the present 12 institutional alignment. We recognize, however, that future conditions may make it advantageous to expand the number of institutions in the league. We discussed criteria and process associated with expansion. No action was taken with respect to any institution including Texas A&M."

4:14 p.m.: Chip Brown is reporting that Texas A&M's Big 12 exit fees "could reach $30 million" if the Aggies do leave for the SEC.

4:19 p.m.: Level is reporting that Fox told the leader of one Big 12 school that BYU, not Houston, would be the first school asked to replace A&M if it came to that. He also reported that a Big 12 school, not Texas Tech, has a law firm all set to sue the SEC if A&M left the Big 12; this same school, he continued, "was ready to sue the Pac-10 last summer but never got the chance to."

6:01 p.m.: From Chip Brown: "A source locked into Texas A&M's situation said the Aggies will be announced as members of the Southeastern Conference beginning in 2012 within 21 days." Brown's source also told him that "Texas A&M wants the SEC, and the SEC wants Texas A&M." (Source)

One day, when the anger at Texas has eroded and the euphoria of their SEC gambit has worn off, the Texas A&M community is going to eventually wake up and wonder how the heck they let this happen. One day, they’ll look in the mirror and see a program with no traditional rivals, no geographic conveniences and probably no more glory than they’ve enjoyed for the last quarter-century as a wannabe football power.

It’s going to happen. Who knows whether it takes two years or 20, but it’s going to happen. And for the sake of college football, which seems intent on cannibalizing itself beyond all recognition, let’s hope that realization comes before the entire landscape is redrawn by one program’s inferiority complex and a television channel that few will ultimately watch.

Yes, after months of rumors and threats and secret negotiations with the SEC, Texas A&M is finally ready for the showdown. The Aggies are leaving the Big 12, leaving Texas and the Longhorn Network, and threatening to blow up college athletics as we know them. It’s not official, not 100 percent done, but there’s no turning back now. After school president R. Bowen Loftin acknowledged yesterday that Texas A&M has formally notified the Big 12 of its desire to leave, they’re just a few weeks of paperwork and legalese away from being in the SEC.

Just 14 months ago in the midst of the first conference expansion crisis, the 10 remaining members of the Big 12 — including Texas A&M — agreed to stay together and create an alliance that was supposed to serve all of their best interests. Now that bond is gone, and suddenly there’s another green light for all hell to break loose in college athletics.

The SEC is going to eventually find a 14th team to pair with Texas A&M. Maybe, just like last time, things won’t change much. But for anyone who fundamentally enjoys college football — who, despite all of its flaws and scandals, loves all the quirks and traditions and competition that this sport has provided for 100 years — this could be a nightmare.

There’s no way to know for sure how it will play out, but Texas A&M’s departure leaves the Big 12 awfully vulnerable and just a breath away from being unsustainable. One more development in the wrong direction could be the straw that sends Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State running to the Pac 12, which almost certainly would prompt the Big 10 and SEC to expand, which would lead to the ACC and Big East waging a war for survival. Suddenly, conference Armageddon is right at our doorstep.

But as one reaction triggers the next, will anybody stop to think about what the future of college football would look like? This is a sport whose brand and appeal is built on rivalries and regionalism. The Big 12 experience is fundamentally different from the Big 10, the brand of football played in the Pac 12 is not the same as the SEC and we revel in arguing all year long about what’s better. Games like Oregon-LSU next Saturday are exciting in large part because they represent a contrast of geography, culture and conference. The actual football teams, in many ways, are secondary.

If that’s sacrificed in favor of four large, rather homogeneous conferences, college football gives up the very thing that helped make it popular in the first place.

Texas A&M can talk all it wants about getting a bigger paycheck from the SEC and the benefits of breaking free from Texas, but the fleeting satisfaction of striking out on their own will pale in comparison to the enjoyment of having a 100-year-old rival to hate. Nothing gives the Aggies more enjoyment than beating Texas, but you can’t beat the Longhorns anymore after you’ve run away from them. College sports are big business, sure, but aren’t they also supposed to be fun?

Fans don’t get to count the millions, just the wins. And as conferences get bigger and more competitive the unintended consequence is that there are more losers every year. You can finish ninth in a 12-team SEC these days, still make a bowl game and convince yourself by signing day that a BCS bid is just around the corner. But hypothetically adding Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Missouri only means there will be some awful expensive 12th place finishes.

More restless fan bases, more frequent coaching changes, more cheating – welcome to the new world of college athletics that could result from A&M's recklessness. Superconferences sound exciting until you realize that somebody has to lose.

In the Big 12, Texas A&M plays two teams — Texas and Oklahoma — that should have equal or better talent in a typical year. That’s as favorable a path to a national championship as A&M will ever see. Good luck getting through Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and the rest. Compared to that gauntlet, the Longhorn Network, which will feature mostly filler programming and not marquee events, will seem like a minor obstacle.

But the Aggies will have their money and they’ll have their spite, and by God they’ll have shown the Longhorns they can live without them. Eventually, though, they’ll realize it’s just a different life, not a better one.