Getting out of Mountain West wouldn't be cheap for Air Force

College athletics is bracing for another round of conference realignment, and if it happens, Air Force could be more than a bystander.

With Texas A&M’s possible move from the Big 12 to the SEC, a few media reports have placed Air Force on a short list of possible replacements for the Big 12.

Air Force is aware of the speculation but doesn’t have much to say, considering nothing has officially happened. The SEC did not extend an invitation to Texas A&M yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

The academy denied an interview request to athletic director Hans Mueh, but instead released a statement about the realignment rumors.

“The Air Force Academy is a proud and happy member of the Mountain West Conference and looking forward to a great future,” Mueh said in the statement. “The academy will continue to work towards what is best for our cadet-athletes in every area on and off the field as we continue working to produce officers of character for our Air Force and the nation.”

The Falcons will continue to wait and see what happens in the college athletics landscape, especially since there is a great deal of uncertainty about what might happen.

The Big 12, with angst over Texas’ television network deal with ESPN and Texas A&M’s departure, could look a lot different by the time it gets around to inviting any replacements. Missouri’s name has come up in reports as possibly moving to the SEC as well. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State could explore their own options.

While the Falcons have been a proponent of the Mountain West, moving to the Big 12 – which signed a 13-year, $1.2 billion television deal with Fox this year, which dwarfs what the Mountain West could do – could be significant to Air Force’s finances. But it would also be a huge leap in competition for Air Force, which has recruiting limitations because it is a service academy with high academic standards and has had trouble being competitive in the Mountain West. Baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball all had losing records in Mountain West contests in 2010-11. Football went 5-3 in conference games last year.

Also, getting out wouldn’t be cheap if Air Force wants to leave, especially if it has the opportunity to join a new conference for the 2012-13 season. The Mountain West instituted a buyout rule, effective June 6, that if any member resigns from the conference after June 30, it would have to pay a $5 million buyout and forfeit all revenue from the conference for that school year, or pay double the conference revenue, whatever is greater. If a school resigns before June 30, the $5 million buyout doesn’t apply, but it would have to wait a year and still forfeit its conference revenue from its final season.