So with sultry rumors of the demise of the Big 12 swirling around like a sundry afternoon soap opera, I decided to weigh in. Let me say straightway, I’ll miss the Big 12 if and when it’s gone. It’s been a great conference. Keep in mind I’m a nobody in the college sports world, just a Kansas Jayhawks fan. Apparently, Kansas athletics is filled with a bunch of nobody’s, at least that is what all the other conferences are making abundantly clear by overlooking us left and right, west and east.
Colorado
Ok, I get it. You’re scared you’re going to go the way of the buffalo (pun definitely intended!) along with the Big 12. Your hoops team has been busted since Donnie Boyce broke his leg in ’95. At least Chauncey is back in town, but like Mr Billups, even Tebow can’t help the Buffaloes on the field. If the Big 12 breaks up, you’re a mid-major lock so you’d better cover yourself while you can. The Pac 10 claims they want the Denver viewing market. Are people in Denver really watching Colorado Buffaloes games? Unlike Nebraska who only has the Huskers literally, don’t they have Tim Tebow and Carmelo Anthony to draw their attention in Denver? Yes, I’m saying a third string Tebow on Sunday afternoon is more interesting than a Colorado Buffaloes game on Saturday.
Now did the Pac-10 really want Colorado? Is the Boulder gold and black the real lapel pin on the Pac 10 suit coat? Or are they just trying to lure away some stray cattle from Texas? Do lapel pins and suit jackets go well with boots and chaps?
Colorado, you jumped the gun. Nebraska could have been the fall guy, but now YOU are the ones history will blame for the break up of the Big 12. If you would have waited four days, we could have blamed Nebraska like we’re all primed and ready to do!
Either way, some new team will use you for their doormat in the Pac 10… but at least you’ll be getting paid for it, right? Money is more important than winning games.
Texas
We (those of us from the Big Eight) knew you’d never fit in. Sheesh, you think your state is it’s own country! However would you fit in a college athletic conference? You couldn’t even consider the notion of conference headquarters in Kansas City (the middle of the conference regionally and logically) so we moved them to Texas too! Now you want to move on, who cares about the other school’s programs your stomping on? I say annex yourself and become your own conference! Invite SMU, TCU, Rice, Texas El Paso and North Texas. Sounds like a real Texas party!
Nebraska
This one hurts a bit more. Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri and Nebraska have been together since 1928! Now they decide to blow away with a whisper of interest from the Big Ten?
Oh how crafty you Cornhuskers are! I can’t wait until it’s Nebraska game day when you have to travel to KU, KSU, ISU and MU. The boos will be a sound so loud, a roar like you’ve never heard! We will all bring ears of corn to the game and hail them down on you like a summer thunderstorm in the fall when you enter the stadium. Go ahead, take the money and run. We’ll hate you forever. We already do.
By the way, do you really think you’re going to be able steal the spotlight from Ohio State, Penn State or even a fledgling Michigan football program? I know you have a legacy and all, but let’s get real. You made that legacy on the field against what are now being called weak football programs! I believe you’ll miss bowling over the Big 12 North in football every year on your way to a bowl game… oh wait, you haven’t even been able to do that the past few years. And poor Doc Sadler, will he ever win another conference game now? He has to play Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue and Indiana yearly now? Good luck Big Red, you’re going to need it.
*the designer in me would like to point out that the ingenious 11 hidden in that Big Ten logo won’t work so well as a “12″ or “13.”
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech & Texas A&M
I feel for you guys. You don’t know what’s going on, so you’re tying to cover yourself like the Buffaloes while we watch Nebraska and Texas hose us down. That’s fine with me, look out for #1. I’ll miss the OU and OSU rivalry. The others, not so much.
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I like your perspective on all of this. It’s true that football is driving this bus, not basketball, and certainly not the betterment of the students or the school.In this case, as with most cases, the end justifies the means. The end is that more schools with big football programs will be making more money and arguably gaining more fans. The smaller schools will have little-to-no-chance to get into strong conferences, and will remain weaklings.That is, unless an aberration occurs. Right now that aberration is called “Boise State University”. They have one of the best records in football for the past several seasons. They have one of the broadest fan-bases (even making it on the cover of a recent NCAA Football videogame). They are stronger, and better than most schools. They draw national ratings, and they challenge all comers. They put out a bid this year to fly out, at their own expense, to play anyone’s 1st or 2nd game of the season without the opposing team having to fly out and visit them the next year. No major teams took them up on it. Not Nebraska. Not Michigan. Not Florida. Not Texas. This is my hope: I would like the Jayhawks, the Tigers, and the Wildcats to end up in the Mountain West conference so that they can make/re-make it into the little conference that could. The greatest revenge against the Texas teams and Nebraska would be to go start up a new conference (or join a mid-level one) and turn it into a powerhouse conference in a few years. Particularly sweet would be if the National Championship-winning team came from a school that wasn’t in a major television market… like Manhattan, Kansas… or Boise, Idaho.
That’s an interesting fact about the Boise St offer and no one having the guts to take them up on it. I too think it would be nice to see a boost in mid majors success, a closing of the gap if you will. It seems like that gap has been narrows more in college basketball, maybe that’s b/c all the money is going to the football programs
That said, do you think ending up in the Mountain West could hurt Bill Self and the Jayhawks ability to recruit? What storied rivalry or big yearly game would we have to bank on outside of the Wildcats and maybe the Tigers to draw people in?
Very well put together sir. I can’t help but agree across the board. I can only hope that the conference split rumors move no further than just that…rumors.
Yes, it would be nice if the leaking stopped here, but if Nebraska goes Big Ten at their press conference in a couple hours, the floodgates will be opened. Do you think the SEC would welcome in Oklahoma? Or more?
What is your option for the World Cup, who will win it?
Well stated. It’s unfortunate that money can break up such deeply engrained rivals, but I guess that’s the way the world has always worked. It’s nice to finally read some commentary on the state of the Jayhawks, all news media seems to be overlooking not only their basketball program but their growing football program. They were one win away from a National title game like two or three years ago, now they’re long forgotten. Fickle interests of the media hype machine.
That’s probably what has me the most amped about the whole ordeal… the lack of coverage on the Jayhawks (or anyones) basketball programs. I guess I’ve been oblivious to how much more athletic departments cater to the football programs.
In the end I think this will all shakedown ok for everyone involved, it’s just easy to get over-worried.
I’ll skip my opinion on the mess (cause I liked yours so much I’ll claim it as my own) and get right to what’s important, the future of Kansas Basketball.
Kansas to the Big East? Good basketball conference, but:
1. Kansas is not in the East
2. Not an ideal travel schedule
Kansas to the SEC? I hope not! See above 1-2
Kansas goes… independent! That can’t be a good thing for a state school like Kansas. Maybe ND can pull that off but I don’t think the Jayhawks could.
So where does Kansas go? Is a Big 6-8 or something like that really worth it? At least the HQ would come back to KC I guess. Probably the best option in the end, maybe we can get another school to move to our conference.
Hey Matt! If Texas stays, we’re good, we add a couple schools. If Texas is thinking clearly I would think they could see that losing Colorado is meaningless and Nebraska only matters to them every other year in football and matters not in hoops. The problem becomes who do we add? More Texas teams seems to be the only real option.
If Texas leaves, which seems likely, then it gets tough. The Mountain West is intriguing, but could Kansas be the team that breaks the barriers between mid major and major? Could the Mountain West become a BCS conference? It’d actually make more sense just to cherry pick the Mountain West’s best like everyone is doing to the Big 12. It’s still shaky.
I think my next blog should focus on the impotence of the NCAA during this whole ordeal…
With Nebraska departing the Big 10 the likelihood of the mass exodus of the South is near certainty. I hope the remaining Big 12 North schools negotiate a deal with the Big East.
I have the same fear Penny. The Big East has plenty of tempting match-ups especially in basketball… but I am worried that travel distance would be the killer in that deal. I definitely hope for a power conference now over the other option… making a conference like the Mountain West a power conference down the road.
Nebraska can’t stand the heat (Texas) so they are getting out of the ktichen. Too bad Ohio State, Michigan, and Iowa will also beat them. I wonder where the Cornhuskers will go next in search of the elusive championship season.
Haha, that made me laugh! That thought is actually a huge part of my next rant blog: Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa, etc will all dominate the Cornhuskers just like Texas and Oklahoma did. Too bad Nebraska torched all their bridges… there isn’t any going back now!
Texas seems to be playing their hand close the their chest right now. The remaining Big 12 South schools will go wherever they go (except A&M might join SEC) and poor Baylor is shut out in the cold. For their sakes (and Iowa State in the North) I hope Texas decides to remain a big 12 member
If Texas decides to preserve the Big 12 (10) who will they invite to replace the defectors?
This is interesting. I forgot how much money the remaining schools could make from the penatly fees. The remaining 5 schools could try to broker a football alliance with the Big East but remain the Big 12 in name.
Officials from five Big 12 schools — Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor — held a conference call on Saturday, The Kansas City Star reported. The schools agreed they would like to continue as members of the Big 12.
The five potential teams that could be left in the Big 12 if the exodus of five others continues to the Pac-10 would be wise to remain together, a conference commissioner with experience dealing with expansion told ESPN.com’s Andy Katz.
The reason is simple: The five remaining schools would be due a huge payday and ultimately could salvage automatic berths to the NCAA tournament and possibly the BCS through expansion themselves.
The commissioner, who didn’t want to be identified because he’s involved in the ongoing realignment of college athletics, told Katz it would be critical for Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Baylor and Iowa State to maintain the Big 12 as an entity or corporation.
“The assets, the amount of money that they would be due by exit fees back to the corporation would be huge,” said the commissioner. “Rather than dissolve the Big 12, they are better off as a Big 12 entity then moving to the Mountain West.”
Taken from:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5282178
Well played Texas, well played, All this hype for nothing and you get everything you want.
The Big 12 has 10 schools, the Big 10 has 12 – Perfect, I had a hard enough time explaining to my girlfriend why it made sense the Big 10 had 11 schools.