After diving into the most important players of the season a week ago, let's glance at realignment once more and weigh the options remaining on the table for the Big 12 after Brett Yormark began his job on Monday, August 1.

I know that they may not be the most loyal, and they are likely to jump for the Big Ten whenever they receive the go-ahead from commissioner Kevin Warren, but they are the best institution available.

Even with the time zone conflict, Oregon's brand and money-making ability trumps every other school remaining on the list and gives each member of the Big 12 much more money in a television contract.

Additionally, the rest of the league wouldn't have to succumb to an unequal revenue-sharing model that the Ducks and Washington are trying to inflict on the current structure of the Pac-12. They wouldn't have the leverage.

Everything I said about Oregon applies to Washington. They are just a lesser version. What they make up for by being in a bigger city and market, they fall short on in comparison to Oregon when it comes to brand and viewership.

Oh, and they don't have the backing of Phil Knight and Nike.

Unlike the next four schools, Oregon and Washington can increase the television payouts per Big 12 member in a significant manner just by their inclusion. And as we have seen, that matters in the current landscape of college athletics.

Just ask Yormark. He spoke about the significance of the next television contract in his first public remarks.

It is wild. It was not long ago that they were in the WAC. Their ascent is akin to that of TCU, and it might be greater at this point because they have much more upside due to a higher enrollment and larger fan base.

UCF is in that neighborhood as well when considering where they began and now being invited into the Big 12.

Some will want to choose one of the other three corner schools, especially since the Big 12 has already planted a flag in the state of Utah by way of BYU. However, the Utes' athletic prowess and viewership numbers cannot be ignored.

Their rabid and passionate fan base would blend well with the Big 12.

I'm not sure that they are number four in a financial sense, or ahead of Colorado and Arizona State in that department. I'm not wise enough to really pour into the numbers between institutions that are pretty close in value.

The differentiator is that the Wildcats haven't been pleased with the Pac-12 for years and have the ambition to push the exit button and convince others to do the same. That holds some cache in itself.

If it wasn't for the Arizona State athletic department being an unmitigated disaster in its current form, Colorado would be lower. While they are in a market that continues to grow and in an area whose population has exploded, they turned their back on the league once before.

It wouldn't preclude me from welcoming the Buffaloes back into the conference, but I'm not going to give them the satisfaction of being chased or begged when they aren't a can't-miss commodity.

Their sports have struggled for years and their fan support has withered.

As mentioned above, Arizona State holds value but their athletic department cannot get out of its own way and has been a mess for a number of years. They are still cobbling together a coaching staff for football because of violations in the past and ongoing investigations.

They are just in bad shape.

One would think they would be desperate for a change, needing to be proactive when it comes to realignment and reassuring a seat at the table. Instead, they've been dragging their feet as much as anyone.

Just listen to athletic director Ray Anderson.

Before opting to pursue other schools, I would be more content at remaining at 12. That is a good number and it isn't so small enough that one needs to grow for the sake of growing.

Cincinnati, UCF, BYU and Houston are enough if nobody else is worth it. There is no need to grab anyone that isn't notable.

No thanks.

Jumping into a market in California that is second to Los Angeles just because it has a lot of people and a new stadium doesn't do it for me. San Diego State has had those advantages for years and still hasn't ascended as an institution the way Cincinnati has, for example.

And it's not for a lack of winning. They have won quite a bit, and that's the problem. The Aztecs haven't even grown in considerable fashion in response to the winning even with all of their resources.

It's a pass for me.