No diatribe this morning.  Just really curious about what the Big East has in mind ... and what exactly is going to happen if the Big 12 meets this weekend (as planned) and actually decides to try to stick together.  I'm not sure that will actually happen, but it's a curiosity...

Realignment Links

First off, ESPN's Adam Rittenburg clarifies how the Big Ten invite/application process actually works, so we know what "they've been invited" or "they've applied" actually means.

• Colorado's Gone
  Ralphie Report: It's Official: Colorado Buffaloes To The Pac-10!
  Dr. Saturday: Colorado bound for 'Pac-11' as expansion dominoes fall
  The Dagger: The next domino has fallen: Colorado to the Pac-10
  Denver Post (Terry Frei): From a CU alum and West Coast native: A great move for the Buffaloes
• Mizzou?
  The Missourian: Missouri curators meet amid conference confusion
  The Trib (Dave Matter): Forsee, Deaton address uncertainty
  KC Star: Missouri official not compelled to pledge loyalty to Big 12
  Post-Dispatch: Missouri's future with Big 12 appears murky
  The Missourian: Missouri's conference future is uncertain; fans remain positive
• Pac-16
  Black Heart Gold Pants: Texas Screws Big XII and Dan Beebe Over, Sets Sights on Pac-16
  Ralphie Report: Anticipation Builds For What Happens Next
  Coug Center: PAC-10 EXPANSION: Larry Scott, mastermind
  The Dagger: Sixteen-team super conferences not so super academically
  Dallas Morning News (Tim Cowlishaw): 16 things to ponder about life with the Pac-16, without the Big 12
  Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Tech coaches embrace Pac-10 possibility
  Daily Oklahoman: Oklahoma State coaches hope for undivided Pac-16
• Anything from the Big Ten?
  Scarlet Nation: Will Rutgers move to the Big Ten?
  Chicago Tribune: Conference realignments could force Notre Dame's hand quickly
• The Big 12 Had a Good Run
  The Lost Ogle: Bye, Bye, Big 12
  Dallas Morning News: Frank Broyles not surprised to see 'misfit' Big 12 die: 'college football is the loser'
• What of the Big 12's Leftovers?
  ESPN.com Basketball Blog: These are nervous times at Iowa State
  Rock Chalk Talk: Sport Specific Conference Realignment?
  KC Star: K-State looking at options as Big 12 begins to change
  Washington Examiner (via Twitter):

  Top #BigEast brass welcome talks with #Kansas, #KansasState,#Missouri & #IowaState. big push by #cincinnati and #Louisville to add them

• The Big 12 Is Dead, Right?
  Dallas Morning News: Boone Pickens: Try to keep the Big 12 going
  Daily Oklahoman: OU's Joe Castiglione working to save Big 12
• What's Next? And As Always, It Comes Down to Texas
  Amarillo Globe-News: Politics kept out of Big 12 decision
  The Dagger: Nebraska leaving Big 12 should have no bearing on Texas' decision
  College Football Talk: Texas, A&M petitioning Big Ten for an invite? Sooners for SEC?
  Burnt Orange Nation: Will Texas A&M Play the Sucker?
  Houston Chronicle: UT, A&M discuss future as Colorado leaves Big 12
  Frank the Tank: It's All About Texas
  Daily Oklahoman: Big 12 split could become really messy
  
• Other
  Dawg Sports: Why I Officially No Longer Care Whether the Big Ten or the Pac-10 Expand
  ESPN.com: Notre Dame Fighting Irish, AD Jack Swarbrick ensnared in irrational time
  What If Sports: Pac-10 and Big 10 Expansion: A Look Back
  Maize 'N Brew: Big Ten Expansion and the CIC: Are the Academic and Research Benefits of Joining the Big Ten Overbown?
  

Mizzou Football Links

• The Falcoholic: Which Falcon Rookie Will Have the Biggest Impact? (I bet you can name one of them...)
  

Mizzou Basketball Links

• The Missourian: DeMarre Carroll hosts Next Level Basketball Camp
  

Say It Ain't So, Lew

• Rock Chalk Talk: Kansas AD Lew Perkins Sets Retirement Date Effective End Of The 2010-2011 School Year
• KC Star: KU athletic director Perkins to retire in 2011
• KC Star: Perkins has been KU's money man

Other Mizzou Links

• Mizzou Track & Field
  MUtigers.com: Rise, Adcock Sit Seventh, Eighth in the Decathlon
  

Other

• Nieman Journalism Lab (Harvard): SB Nation CEO on how we're fans of teams, not sports, T.V. shows, not T.V., and what that means for news