Football follies

I'm not really into college football but I find the politics off the field very interesting, particularly as they relate to western teams.  Here is a recent history:

====================================
Phase I - The Good Old Days (pre-1996)
The Big 8 consisted of CU, Nebraska, Iowa State, Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
The Southwest Conference consisted of Arkansas, Baylor, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, SMU, TCU, Texas Tech and Houston.
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) consisted of BYU, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado State, UTEP, San Diego State, Hawaii, Air Force and Fresno State.

Life was good.  Except the Southwest Conference was mortally wounded.  Arkansas was the first to go, in 1990 to the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

====================================
Phase II - First Grand Realignment (1996-1999)
The Southwest Conference implodes, with Baylor, Texas, Texas AM, and Texas Tech moving to the Big 8, which became the Big 12.  Rice, SMU, and TCU joined the WAC.  Houston joined the newly formed Conference USA (C-USA).

The WAC also admitted as members UNLV, Tulsa, and San Jose State, to become a mega-conference with 16 members.

====================================
Phase III- The Mountain West emerges (2000-2011)
The WAC was too unwieldly, and so the Mountain West Conference was formed to re-create the "good ole days" of the WAC.  In order to compensate, the WAC took in additional members Nevada, Boise State, and Louisiana Tech. TCU left to join the (C-USA).

Membership now looked like:

Mountain West Conference (MWC): BYU, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado State, San Diego State, Air Force and UNLV.  This is the same as the original membership of the WAC, except UNLV replaced Fresno State, and UTEP and Hawaii didn't join.
Western Athletic Conference (WAC): UTEP, Hawaii, Fresno State, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, San Jose State, Nevada, Boise State, and Lousiana Tech.
Big 12: CU, Nebraska, Iowa State, Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.

In 2005, there was a mini-realignment, with Rice, SMU, and Tulsa leaving the WAC and joining the C-USA. Utah State, Idaho, and New Mexico State join the WAC.  Also in 2005, TCU left the C-USA to join the Mountain West, and UTEP left the WAC to join the C-USA. 

====================================
Phase IV - The Second Grand Realignment (2011-present)
In 2011, massive realignment occurred, resulting in the total implosion of the WAC, and a weakening of the Big 12 and MWC.  These are the changes that occurred.

Boise State left the WAC to join the MWC.
Nebraska left the Big 12 to join the Big 10, which now had 12 members.
Colorado left the Big 12 to join the Pac-12, leaving the Big 12 with only 10 members.
Texas A&M and Missouri then left the Big 12 to join the SEC.
TCU left the MWC to join the Big 12.
West Virginia left the Big East to join the Big 12.
BYU leaves the MWC to become independent.
San Diego State will be leaving the MWC in 2013 to join the Big East in football.
Utah left the MWC in 2011 to join the Pac-12.
Fresno State, Nevada, Hawaii, San Jose State, Fresno State and Utah State are all leaving the WAC to join the MWC, for football.
Louisiana Tech is leaving the WAC for the Conference USA in 2013.
Houston and SMU are leaving the CUSA for the Big East in 2013.

Wait, it gets crazier:
Boise State, which just joined the MWC in 2011, will leave in 2013 to join the Big East in football.
UT-San Marcos and UT-Arlington, which is joining the WAC in 2012 for football, will leave in 2013 to join the Sun Belt conference.
UT-San Antonio, which is joining the WAC in 2012 for football, will leave in 2013 to join the Conference USA.
Idaho and New Mexico State, having no one left to play in the WAC, will become independent.

So here is how it looks now after 2013
Western Athletic Conference: None for football.
Mountain West Conference:  New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado State, Air Force, UNLV, Nevada, Hawaii, San Jose State, Fresno State, Utah State.
Big 12: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Texas, and Texas Tech, TCU, West Virginia.

Conference-USA members from the original list: Rice, UTEP
Pac-12 members from the original list: Colorado, Utah
Big 10 members from the original list: Nebraska.
SEC members from the original list: Arkansas, Texas A&M, Missouri.
Big East members: Houston, SMU, San Diego State

I'm not really interested in the Conference-USA or Big East but both will be huge and liable to being split up in the future:
Conference-USA: UAB, UCF, Charlotte, East Carolina, FIU, Houston, Lousiana Tech, Marshall, Memphis, North Texas, Old Dominion, Rice, SMU, Southern Miss, UTEP, UTSA, Tulane, Tulsa (18 members, but Houston, Memphis, UCF and SMU will leave for the Big East in 2013, leaving 14).
Big East: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, USF, Syracuse, Temple, UCF, Houston, Memphis, SMU, Boise State, San Diego State (14 members, but Syracuse and Pitt will leave in 2013 for the ACC, leaving 12.  Navy may join in 2015)

===================================
So, the SWC has become the Big 12, (minus Arkansas,Rice, SMU, Texas AM and Houston, plus Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia), and the WAC has become the MWC (minus BYU, San Diego State, Utah and UTEP, plus UNLV, Nevada, Utah State, and San Jose State)

==================================
Update: More madness.
Rutgers will be leaving the Big East to join the Big Ten, effective in 2014.
Maryland will leave the ACC to join the Big Ten.

So, just looking at where teams are going, we can see a hierarchy as follows:
1.  PAC-12, Big Ten, SEC
2.  Big 12, ACC
3.  Big East, MWC
4.  C-USA 
5.  Sun Belt
6. WAC (now defunct)

A team will leave a lower ranked division for a higher one, but not vice versa.

===================================
Update 2/21/2013.  Yet more madness:

Boise State and San Diego State decide not to join the Big East and will be re-joining the MWC.
Houston and SMU are considering leaving the Big East to join the MWC.