It was only a couple of months ago, but it's already easy to forget that two of the Big 12's best current basketball programs -- including its best program of all time, and one of the flagship programs in college hoops, Kansas -- were almost left conference-less by the Big 12's near-implosion.

Thankfully, that didn't happen. The Big 12 came to its senses, gave Texas approximately one gazillion dollars (give or take a few megabillions), and stayed intact despite the departures of Colorado and Nebraska. And all was right in the Sunflower State once again.

At the time, most assumed Kansas would attempt to get into the Big Ten or the Mountain West, with a few rumors here and there about a geographically confusing move to the Big East. Apparently, those rumors had something to them, as the Big East considered adding Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Missouri if the Big 12 dissolved. From Adam Zagoria:

“For the 24 hours where it looked like they were leaving [the Big 12], then this idea had legs,” the source said Tuesday at Big East football media day. Added Big East Commissioner John Marinatto: “I think all other conferences had, in the event that the whole Texas move to the Pac-10 occurred, plans in place as to what we were doing and planning that way….I think all of the conferences were prepared to react accordingly.”

Can you imagine? Of course, the Big East's football denizens would have had themselves a regular old time -- that would have given the league 12 football programs, which isn't unusual in the least.

What would have been unusual is the birth of a basketball superconference. The Big East, now with 20 teams, would have added two with eyes on the Final Four this season (Kansas State, Kansas) and one that has experienced a competitive rebirth under new coach Mike Anderson (Missouri) to an already stacked core. Imagine that league: Syracuse, Georgetown, Villanova, Kansas, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Louisville, Marquette, Kansas State, Missouri ... I'm going to list the entire conference, because you get the idea. It would have been insane.

At the very least, it would have forever doomed the preseason and tournament-time arguments about which conference is best to the place where pointless arguments go to die. The answer would be clear, even with a 16-team Pac-10. There would have been no topping that (thankfully non-existent) conference, like, ever again.