This summer got off to a rocky start for Iowa State, and all fellow Big 12 schools, as months of speculation and rumors about potential realignment finally came to fruition during the first half of June. 

Rumors ran wild that the Big 12 was going to be disbanded, thanks in large part to the Pac 10 and Big Ten. Both conferences were rumored to be taking many of the Big 12 teams, except Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State. 

Despite potentially losing eight teams, the Big 12 ultimately lost only two. Nebraska left for the Big Ten while Colorado joined the Pac 10. 

This now leaves the Big 12 with 10 teams and no championship game.

So what does this mean for the Cyclones and their athletic teams?

For football, the most likely scenario will include a schedule made up of nine conference games, with the conference champion being determined by standings.

Both men’s and women’s basketball will play south teams twice during the season, instead of playing them just once; a concept one coach is particularly pleased about.

“Now [the ISU women’s basketball team] needs to be excited about the challenge of the competition that’s coming,” said ISU women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly. “Like we’ve done in the past, I think it’s great for our fans. They’re going to see good teams every year that they only saw every other year.”

Softball and volleyball will now only have nine total teams in the Big 12, with both sports losing Nebraska. In addition to Nebraska, volleyball will also be forced to drop Colorado.

However, ISU athletic director Jamie Pollard said all of the conference’s athletic directors were more than willing to accept such changes if that kept the Big 12 together. 

“Part of this scenario is that we clearly won’t have a championship game, and the coaches voted 12-0 not to have a championship game several years ago; and the coaches have, every year, talked about playing nine [conference games]” Pollard said.

“I know [football coach Paul Rhoads] understands it, and he wasn’t here for those votes, but he’ll echo those same sentiments that not playing the championship game is beneficial. Also getting to play everybody will truly determine who the conference champion is.”

Questions were also raised regarding the future of the Cy-Hawk series. Some questioned whether the new schedules for both schools would allow the series could continue.

Pollard said he expects the series to continue despite the changes being made to the schedule.

“At this juncture, it’s premature to speculate on which games we wouldn’t play,” Pollard said. “Our belief is that the Iowa/Iowa State game means a lot to this state, and we would like to see that continue. However, I can’t speak for what the Big Ten’s going to do. I haven’t followed on if they’re going to go to nine games.”

One change that could positively affect the university was revenue. University president Greg Geoffroy said the university can expect an increase in revenue once the switch is made.

“That formula has really been what’s driven our revenue,” Geoffroy said. “What we anticipate will occur, is that over the next several years we’ll see a significant ramp up in the size of the television contract the Big 12 has.”

This deal was said to be the one that kept the conference together, as some of the smaller schools in the Big 12, such as Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Missouri and Iowa State, offered to give those three schools the money Colorado and Nebraska forfeited in order to keep the conference together. 

“If having our top schools go for $14 or $15 million to $20 million, and in order to do that Iowa state gets to go from $9 million to $13 million, I’m all in,” Pollard said. “If we’re going to go up $4 million, and that means somebody else may go up $5 million, I’m taking the $4 million.”

Nebraska’s move to the Big Ten will be made official in July of 2011, while Colorado will switch to the Pac 10 in 2012.