The now-yearly cycle of realignment has kicked off, with a pair of "name" schools announcing their decision to depart their long-time conference affiliation for another. The Los Angeles schools are headed to the B1G and now a mad scramble ensues. Where it goes, nobody truly knows right now. There is a ton of speculation and rumors, and very little, if any, solid information.

So in this piece, we'll take a more analytical approach to the big picture and then try to apply it to Oklahoma State.

First, there are currently two major factors in the big picture, and they are somewhat intertwined.

The first is Notre Dame. They are without question the largest expansion target for the B1G and, really, the other four conferences. They are sort of a member of the ACC, but not in football and not part of the league's Grant-of-Rights and media deal. Notre Dame football - and make no mistake, football is all that truly matters in realignment at the top - owns their own rights and are free to join another conference at any time. The big - say $200 million - question is are they ready now? A firm yes or no from the Irish on realignment will have ripple effects everywhere in college football. Until such affirmation comes to light, the unknowns remain large.

The ACC is a relatively weak league at this point but does have some highly attractive football schools in Clemson, Florida State and (arguably) Miami. Then you have North Carolina, which is a decent football program in terms of success and viewers but has a national basketball following. Which leaves UNC (and possibly Kansas) as the possible exception to the "all about football" rule above. The ACC's weakness comes from its GOR, that locks schools into the media deal and conference through 2036. Member schools could leave, but not without paying a huge price. Or dissolution of the entire league.

So, where does all of this lead for OSU? First, you have to look at the Cowboys in two different ways - an expansion candidate for the two most powerful leagues and as a flagship for a further-expanded Big 12.

Due to football success over the last two decades, the resulting television viewership numbers, facilities and overall athletic program quality, the Cowboys have to be among the top considerations for B1G and SEC expansion. There is certainly an argument for a few others to be higher on the pecking order, like Oregon, Washington, Clemson and FSU, but OSU is in that conversation.

The Big 12 and its brand-new commissioner Brett Yormark appear to be ready to go on the offensive, or that may already be happening. What would make the most sense and has some reporting by The Atlantic supporting it is the Big 12 picking off the best of the remaining PAC-12 schools and being the first conference to go past 16 teams. Specifically, that would likely be Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado. That's roughly ordered by those school's attractiveness, both to the Big 12 and in the larger realignment picture.

While we just outlined the two different ways to look at OSU, realignment doesn't occur in a vacuum, so of course everything is intertwined. OSU President Kayse Shrum and athletic director Chad Weiberg will almost certainly present a unified front behind Yormark and the other Big 12 member schools. At the same time, if or when the SEC or B1G call, they will take that call (which will be through a third party).

Which scenario is best for the long-term health of OSU's athletics programs? I don't know and am thankful that one is well above my pay grade.

The final scenario sees the Big 12 somehow getting decimated and OSU being left without a seat anywhere else at the realignment table. I don't see the former as very likely at all and the latter is extremely unlikely. But the possibility exists, so we'll mention it in closing.