way to the B1G. Sure, they should hold their heads up on their program's accomplishments: first non-power league team to win an elite bowl game, first to play in a second (and win) major bowl game, and certainly the fact that they were the first non-power league team to get called up, as it were, into a power league when they were added to the Pac 10.

But let's remember why that happened. The bylaws of the NCAA used to stipulate that a conference was required to have a minimum membership of 12 programs in order to hold a lucrative conference championship game in football. The Pac 10 attempted first to get that rule changed. They failed (notably, the Big 12 succeeded less than a decade later).

Unable to get the rule changed, the Pac 10 finally decided that they could consider the possibility that there were other institutions who could grace their conference. They tried first to cripple a competitor by successfully luring the University of Colorado into the fold. With the Big 12 hit by another defection, the Pac 10 then shot their shot by trying to get Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Kansas to consider forming a Pac 16 (one of the schools listed would get left out ((likely OK State)) — hoping implied scarcity would lead to a sense of urgency). When Texas got concessions that they could form the Longhorn Network, the Pac 16 idea fizzled and died with all Big 12 schools committing to stay together — though Texas A&M and Missouri would SECede less than two years later.

But here was the now Pac 11 still needing a team to add. Of the EIGHT Big 12 schools targeted, only one had said yes. Still need another one so the University of Utah got the call — not for purely financial reasons, mind you, as Utah wasn't (and isn't) the biggest draw in their own state. Good for Utah in 2011.

But if Utah fans really think their are on the short list of future B1G expansion, they're idiots. They aren't even the top financial draw in their own state let alone the mountain region that apparently the B1G is dying to get into. Kansas and Colorado are the only programs that the B1G would consider for "geographic bridge programs" for their Pacific 4. Utah wouldn't even be in consideration until multiple programs chose to turn the B1G down — which in today's environment would never, ever, ever happen.

So hunker down and quit being unwarranted snobs about the Big 12, yewts. While it's in line with your mental reasoning capability, it's time to put the bottle down and instead drink in some reality.

Utah to the B1G is not going to happen.