I am so old that I remember the Big Eight conference. I have a memory of the 1971 Game of the Century between No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 Oklahoma.

After that game, every matchup between the Sooners or Cornhuskers was “must-see TV.” And it was difficult the watch on TV at first because the schools could only have a couple of games televised each season (apart from bowl games).

People don’t remember that Colorado, also in the Big Eight, finished the year ranked No. 3. That was a big deal with three teams from the same conference finishing 1-2-3. Nebraska was undefeated while OU’s only loss was to NU and Colorado’s only losses were to NU and OU.

The Big Eight and the Southwest Conference vanished in 1994 when Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor and Texas A&M left the Southwest Conference and merged with the Big Eight to form the Big 12.  I didn’t like it at first. OU still plays Texas every year in what used to be a non-conference game. After the merger, the game remained but it meant more because it was critical to making the Big 12 championship game every year.

It was made to make teams more money.

Then between 2011 and 2012, four schools who were originally in the Big Eight left. Missouri and Texas A&M bolted for the Southeastern Conference while Colorado joined the Pac-12 Conference. The biggest blow was the departure of Nebraska for the Big Ten.

That meant no annual OU-Nebraska game (although they played as non-conference foes last season and will play again this fall.) Nebraska left because they didn’t like being pushed around by Texas. Their football team has not fared well in the Big Ten.  A lot of history went down the drain.

TCU and West Virginia joined the Big 12 in 2012. TCU made sense but West Virginia didn’t really. West Virginia is out of the geographic football and really belongs in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

And then a year ago, OU and Texas had secret negotiations and kissed the Big 12 goodbye and headed for the Southeastern Conference.

This made little sense to me. OU was top dog in the Big 12 football and Texas thought they were. Now they will probably get to play Alabama every year and get a conference schedule with only one weak sister – Vanderbilt. And it was a blow to Oklahoma State, which has historically been tied to the hip to OU in sports.

The switch was made to make more money.

The Big 12 pivoted and recruited Cincinnati, Houston and UCF from the American Athletic Conference. They also signed up BYU, an independent (who doesn’t compete on Sundays because of their Mormon religion). And the Big 12 might not be finished but might pick up some of the better schools from the Pac-12.

Now, out of the blue (more secret negotiations), USC and UCLA are moving to the Big Ten. That is devastating to the Pac-12. Their two top TV draws in football and basketball are headed out the door.

And here’s a bit of irony. One of the big reasons why Coach Lincoln Riley left OU was because he didn’t think he could win in the SEC like he won in Big 12. He was licking his chops as the prospect of coaching in a Pac-12 with weaker teams.

Now instead of playing Cal, Stanford and Oregon, Riley will be coaching against Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and others. And he still has to play UCLA every year.

These changes shatter old rivalries. Texas killed the football rivalry with A&M when A&M left. A&M was not happy that Texas was joining the SEC because that rivalry with begin again.

USC won’t play Cal unless it’s a non-conference game and UCLA won’t play Oregon.

And like the Pac-12, the ACC is left holding the bag. Clemson, Miami and Florida State find themselves outside the two super conferences and that is scary.

Money is the big reason but power is the real underlying cause. The SEC and Big Ten want to run the NCAA, especially in football. With this setup, they can. But what about the Tulsa football team or basketball team? Can they ever win a national championship? And what about the “name-image-likeness” change? One highly recruited quarterback has already been offered a one-million-dollar marketing contract and he hasn’t played a down.

The big schools get the big bucks and legally can attract the best players with money on the side. That is a great advantage.

Conference teams used to be near each other. Now some will be coast to coast. Some minor sports may be dropped because of travel expenses.

College football is becoming a minor league for the NFL. And it’s not going to make the game any better for the fans.