ha, I don't doubt it... I just know from marrying into a mutli layered Big 12 family that there is this idea that the powers that be view the conference as:
UT Austin
Longhorns
Texas
Oklahoma
Texas Again
Everyone else
I think it's a big reason why Nebraska, Colorado, Mizzou and A&M all bounced.
It's dumb, but I get it at the same time. Texas could do their own thing and join basically any conference they want, and they'd be welcomed with open arms and almost all of their stipulations would be met.
There was a rumor floating around back before the last realignment shakeup that Texas and ND were both in talks to join the B1G to proactively address their own concerns with realignment. It got knocked down as bullcrap hypothesizing, but then it came out that there was actually some substance to it, and it fell apart because the ACC started to make nice, and certain people at ND felt better going that direction, considering ND's history with racist/prejudiced assholes in the B1G.
Texas was also connected to the Pac12, and supposedly not even A&M could prevent the SEC from letting Texas join if the Longhorns ever decide they want in.
The only other program that commands that kind of power is ND. I don't even think Oklahoma could jumpstart realignment on their own if they tried to leave the Big XII... they'd need Texas to agree to join whatever new conference they were trying to leave for.