MWC merge into the remainder of the Big XII?
 

That would make the Big XII and ACQ and the conference would keep the departure penalties paid by the departing schools. Interesting concept, eh?

I'm worried that byu's going to get screwed by this whole thing. We're the red headed step-child.

Murphy's law as it applies to BYU. If BYU can get screwed, it will. And if two options to screw BYU can happen, either the worst will happen or both will.

And finally, if BYU can get screwed and Utah benefitted, that's the most likely option.

We're Baylor without the baptists.

With the Big 12 losing its best teams, that can only help BYU. If the Big 12 wants to stay a BCS AQ conference and the lucrative money that comes with it, there are only a few schools that are a "sure thing" keep the Big 12 up to AQ status (as I understand it, to have AQ status a conference must meet a minimum standard, not simply be one of the top 6 conferences).

Of the likely candidates, only TCU, Cincinnati, and Boise State can boast better BCS performance than BYU in this current 4 year rating period (I leave Utah out assuming they are part of the Pac 10). Boise State and Cincinnati are major geographical stretches for the Big 12 (BYU is a small stretch, but worth it for the BCS $$$).

BYU also provides what was lost in Nebraska--a team with a national following (granted NU's national following is bigger than BYU's, but just like the Big 10 settled on NU over ND for the one big expansion splash, BYU's national following has to help the cause).