Notre Dame can be literally independent from the Big East in football and can join any other league on a moment's notice. They have the ultimate independence.

But that just leads me to a huge light-bulb, a-ha moment. After Notre Dame, Texas probably has more leverage to choose its own direction than any other program in the nation. That leverage includes the freedom to carry the heaviest influence among the Big 12's schools, and it also includes the ability to threaten to leave for another conference with the absolute highest confidence that other leagues would come calling. Although fans certainly like having A&M; and OU as league rivals, it's not as though other Big 12 members command as strong a TV contract as members of other leagues do.

Through the years Texas has been considered, at varying degrees of seriousness, as a potential member of the SEC, Pac 10, and Big Ten. Rumors have even existed that the ACC would take 'em.

Schools like Michigan & Ohio State could never threaten to leave because there's no availabe league even arguably better for them. Same for Florida and USC, who I'm sure have the most commanding voice in their leagues but know they HAVE to be in their leagues. Schools like Missouri, Rutgers, Pitt, Syracuse, and Maryland couldn't threaten to leave for the Big Ten because, hey, there's no certainty they'll get invited. Texas may not be independent, but it seems like they could pretty much do whatever they want.