Expansion Was About Schools, Not Conferences, Getting Bigger

So, why did The Senior sit idly by whilst all the expansion talk ran rampant? Because in the end, it ended exactly like I thought it did: with really not much happening.
Sure, Nebraska bolted for the Big Ten and it's a big get for the conference, which gets another tradition-laden program to sit on its mantle next to Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. Utah taking a seat at the big boys table with the Pac-10 is a major boost for a program that's been fighting to prove it belongs and Boise State gets a boost with a move that's similar to a lesser extent by heading to the Mountain West.
But when you couple those moves with Colorado going to the Pac-10 (which completely redefines my perception of "Pacific") and the fact that the biggest pieces of the puzzle (Texas and Oklahoma stayed put) this was an underwhelming ending to what had the makings of a game-changing shuffle and it only strengthens the notion that it's not conferences that run college football, nor university presidents or high-paid coaches. The game is ruled by a few choice programs that can write their own tickets and bend conferences and television networks to do whatever they want.
How else can you explain Texas putting the same demands of wanting local TV rights and their own network (which they'll keep all the profits from) to the Pac-10 and the Big 12 and commish Dan Beebe being so fearful of losing the Longhorns (along with the Sooners, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech), that he and his brethren would cave to Texas' wishes?
From here on out, Texas is going to call the shots in the Big 12 like never before. Don't believe it? There will never be a Big 12 Network because now Texas is in control of its own on-air existence outside of the major network deals and it's not going to let anyone else have a piece of the pie.
Would a few super conferences have been horrible for the game? Maybe. It would have killed any real hope the smalller leagues have of levelling the playing field, but now like never before we have teams wielding power they're not entitled to in a conference setting.
We didn't get the result so many of us thought we'd get with the realignment talk. No, what we got was far worse.