Improving the Big 12 - KC Star article

[milesl]

THE BIG 12 AT 10 | Toward a brighter future
League of its own

BLAIR KERKHOFF
The Kansas City Star

From here, where?

Without a team in the College World Series, the Big 12 has closed the book on a decade of competition, and as the league plots a future course, we suggest where the Big 12 should play a card or stand pat.

Big 12 football needs to dominate the Big 12 market. Obvious, no? But on many fall Saturdays, viewers from Lincoln to Laredo can watch more Big Ten games than the local elevens.

The Big 12’s next television contract, to be negotiated next year, needs to assure viewers from the big toe to the heel in the Big 12 footprint that we can see Missouri and Oklahoma State more often than Indiana and Minnesota.

To that end, Big 12 schools must do a better job providing inventory attractive to the networks. The league can only suggest better nonconference scheduling, but it does control the league schedule.

There are always slow September weekends. How about an early-season Texas-Texas Tech or Colorado-Kansas State?

If schools don’t go for that, add the ninth conference game. There was more support for the additional game this year. Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione suggested an annual game with traditional rival Nebraska, even if the Cornhuskers weren’t on the Sooners’ league slate that year. No word from Bob Stoops on such an arrangement.

Somehow, in 10 years of a football conference championship game, the Sooners and Cornhuskers haven’t met in December. All the more reason to not fool around with the championship game.

The title game has provided a little of everything: upsets that have cost the conference shots at the national championship (Nebraska, 1996; Kansas State, 1998; Texas, 2001), blowouts and some thrillers.

But it also has been the highest-rated nonbowl game of the season, providing marvelous exposure for the conference, not to mention a nice chunk of value for the Big 12’s TV contract.

Should the championship game — and the basketball and baseball tournaments — continue to rotate or drop anchor at one site? Cities would love to block out their events calendar with a football game in Texas, basketball tournament in Kansas City and baseball event in Oklahoma City.

It’s not going to happen any time soon, and it shouldn’t. Over the next decade, the Big 12 should continue its practice of site rotation and even explore new cities. Take the football game to Denver. Try the basketball tournaments in Omaha. See what works then decide what is best. But everybody gets an audition.

Baseball is a different beast. A major-league team isn’t interested in sharing its stadium for a week. Staying put in centrally located Oklahoma City is the best call.

But it’s time to separate the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Please explain: The women annually lead the nation in attendance, but the league is concerned about interest in the women’s tournament falling off if it’s not attached to the men’s event.

Split ’em up. Create a new championship destination with the final the weekend before the men’s tournament. Yes, changing the dates would create more down time for NCAA-bound teams and travel decisions for fans. The tradeoff is forging a new identity that would help grow the sport.

With the women at a new site, change the men’s dates to end on a Saturday night. No more cramming a net-cutting ceremony and selection show party in an hour. Free the Big 12 from Sunday.

Do anything to plug the biggest hole in the league’s resume: win a national basketball championship. A team from every other major conference has enjoyed the confetti shower and teared up to “One Shining Moment” in the past decade. Not to put any pressure on Kansas, but this task falls on you.

Finally, don’t fool around with the divisions. North/South works. Some have offered plans like east/west or big market/small market. Forget it. The North schools dominated football early, now South does. Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska have all taken elevator rides in both directions over the last decade.

The Big 12, which has generated $750 million for its members over a decade, is a bottom-line success.

“I really like where the Big 12 is positioned,” commissioner Kevin Weiberg said.

He should. Weiberg’s charge for the next decade? Keep the income flowing.

IMPROVING THE BIG 12

• Maximize exposures in next TV contract

• Schedule league football games in September

• Add ninth football league game

• Keep football championship game

• Maintain championship rotation for football, basketball

• Anchor baseball in Oklahoma City

• Separate men’s and women’s basketball tournaments

• Change men’s basketball final to Saturday

• Win a basketball championship

• Keep North/South alignment

[BIG_IKE]

I'd swap out Texas Tech for Iowa State and make it a East-West alignment. And balance it a little bit. Adding the 9th game would probably make it like the SEC. They dont play out of conference very often, so their teams are usually overrated.

That really grinds my gears.
SEC teams beating eachother up = THE SEC is tough
Big 12 Teams beating eachother up - The Big 12 is down

[Jimminy Crimson]

IMPROVING THE BIG 12

• Maximize exposures in next TV contract - YES

• Schedule league football games in September - YES

• Add ninth football league game - NO

• Keep football championship game - YES

• Maintain championship rotation for football, basketball - YES

• Anchor baseball in Oklahoma City - YES

• Separate men’s and women’s basketball tournaments - HELL NO

• Change men’s basketball final to Saturday - NO

• Win a basketball championship - YES

• Keep North/South alignment - YES

[Octavian]

It'll never happen, but a team shouldn't have to beat someone twice.

We shouldn't have had to beat KState twice in '00 or Colorado in '02.

If Texas wins out in '06, they shouldn't have to "prove it" against Nebraska.

The title game should only be for breaking deadlocks between teams that haven't already played head-to-head.

Not gonna happen.

[yermom]

like the Big 12 has any control over who wins the tournament

i'm not a fan of the 9th game either, it only really makes sense for OU/Nebraska

the SEC doesn't play an extra game, do they? they just schedule some teams less often and keep the "rivalry" game

[royalfan5]

like the Big 12 has any control over who wins the tournament

i'm not a fan of the 9th game either, it only really makes sense for OU/Nebraska

the SEC doesn't play an extra game, do they? they just schedule some teams less often and keep the "rivalry" game
SEC plays 8 and keeps certain rivalries going. The PAC-10 switched to a 9 game schedule this year now that the 12 game schedule is permanant. They are the only conference with a 9 game schedule. I would have no problem with a 9 game schedule, just give everyone a designated rival from the other division to complement NU/OU, for example UT/CU, MU/TAMU, Baylor/KU, OSU/ISU, KSU/TTU. I think that would work just fine, if College football is going to remain without a playoff, why impose an artifical one on yourselves with a CCG? A 9 game conference slate would yield a true champion most of the time.

[BIG_IKE]

Why dont we just kick Kansas out, and have 11 like the Big 10?

[royalfan5]

Why dont we just kick Baylor out, and have 11 like the Big 10?
Fixed, you don't kick your most tradition laden Basketball school out to keep an equally crappy football school with no basketball tradtion.

[HuskerSooners]

My solution to the big 12 is add 2 teams. I believe that Colorado State in the north and either Tulsa or New Mexico in the south would make for a better conference. And then you could add the 9 game regular season

[BIG_IKE]

Fixed, you don't kick your most tradition laden Basketball school out to keep an equally crappy football school with no basketball tradtion.

Is Kansas good at anything other than Basketball? Baylor sure is...
Baylor is among the nations best in Womens Basketball, Baseball, Track & Field, and few other sports.

Actually, after further thinking a strong case could be made for Iowa State.
Isnt Baylor 3-0 against the Big 12 North?

[BIG_IKE]

Big 12 Schools in the Final 4


Kansas=11
Oklahoma State- 5
Oklahoma- 4
Texas- 3
K-State- 3
Baylor- 2
Colorado- 2
Iowa State- 1

[royalfan5]

Is Kansas good at anything other than Basketball? Baylor sure is...
Baylor is among the nations best in Womens Basketball, Baseball, Track & Field, and few other sports.

Actually, after further thinking a strong case could be made for Iowa State.
Isnt Baylor 3-0 against the Big 12 North?
Men's Basketball and Football are the only two reasons the Big XII exist they foot the bill for all the other sports. The other sports don't contribute any thing to the bottom line. Kicking KU out would cause a large decline in the value of the Big XII basketball TV contract. It's great that Baylor tries hard and all, but they aren't adding money to the Big XII's coffers. ISU has went bowling 5 out of the last 6 seasons, and have a decent men's basketball tradition. If the Big XII wants to boot somebody, it should be solely based on Men's basketball and football contributions.

[TexasBoomer]

Bring in Arkansas and kick Colorado to the Mountain Conference and move OSU to the Big 12 North.

[cschellman]

Texas Christian should have been added to the Big XII out of the SWC instead of Baylor. TCU has actually won football National Championships and wouldn't embarrass the Big XII like Baylor has since the conference's inception.

[yermom]

well, Baylor has a better conference record than us right now :O

TCU would not be near as successful in the Big 12 as they have been in the C-USA or the MWC

[DalHorn]

My solution to the big 12 is add 2 teams. I believe that Colorado State in the north and either Tulsa or New Mexico in the south would make for a better conference. And then you could add the 9 game regular season

NO!! Diluting the conference isn't the way to go unless you can get a really big player. Replace ISU with Arkansas maybe. No one cares to see K-state vs. Tulsa for crying out loud. No one outside of their respective states gives a rat's *** about Tulsa or Colo. St.

Instead of a wacky, unabalanced 9th game, there should be heavy incentives to schedule 2 solid out of conference games. Give schools a bigger cut of the end-of-year bowl money for playing 2 top 30 teams (just an example). Big national games are the way to go... games that get TV's in NY, Fla, Cal instead of Dustville, Kansas. Texas is playing Arkansas in 2 years. It would be cool if they also through in a Penn St. or somesuch.

[SicEmBaylor]

Is Kansas good at anything other than Basketball? Baylor sure is...
Baylor is among the nations best in Womens Basketball, Baseball, Track & Field, and few other sports.

Actually, after further thinking a strong case could be made for Iowa State.
Isnt Baylor 3-0 against the Big 12 North?

Nevermind. Thought you forgot about baseball.

[cschellman]

Nebraska - OU needs to be annual. Period. Even outside of the conference, people want to see these two teams play. We need to find a way to make it happen.

[royalfan5]

Nebraska - OU needs to be annual. Period. Even outside of the conference, people want to see these two teams play. We need to find a way to make it happen.
I'd be okay with us not playing OSU ever(well unless they make the CCG, so I guess it would be ever) and then just playing OU every year. OU could give up playing ISU. Everybody wins.

[OUstud]

My thoughts:

Become the Big 9 by dropping 3 teams: Baylor, Iowa State, and Texas Tech. No offense to those schools, they're either a. out of the way from the rest of the conference or b. kind of out of place.

Then, we take strong members from C-USA/Mountain West (I'm thinking UTEP, TCU, Houston, New Mexico, Colorado State, and Tulsa) and have them join the 3 excluded teams to form a new Big 9. This would become a BCS conference, sort of the Southwest's answer to the Big East. These teams all have the potential now to grow equally without teams like OU and Texas hogging all the talent. (yes, I know ISU is pretty far north from everyone, but they are now anyway). We do away with divisions and keep the 8 game conference schedule, and the other Big 9 does the same.

edit: for football only; Tech could be replaced by Aggy..

[Big Red Ron]

• Anchor baseball in Oklahoma City


This is a trick. Kansas City really, really doesn't want to see a successful Tournament in OKC with two arenas right next to each other IN AN NBA market.

Let KC have the Baseball and we'll take the BBall. They simply want the argument that we shouldn't have two Championships in one city. Basketball is clearly more sexy and lucrative.

[BoomerJack]

My solution to the big 12 is add 2 teams. I believe that Colorado State in the north and either Tulsa or New Mexico in the south would make for a better conference. And then you could add the 9 game regular season

I know everyone is gonna laff at this but I would rather see U. of Houston in rather than N. Mex. and/or Tulsa. I'm throwing this out there because I think that just about everyone in the conference would want to play regularly in the fertile recruiting ground of Houston. And it's not just for football either. Basketball and baseball would be helped as well, IMO. The enormous obstacle to this, of course, is U. of H's small football stadium. If it could be arranged for them to play the games in Reliant Stadium......

[OklahomaTuba]

The only thing that needs to change is a better TV contract and adding that 9th game so OU/cornholio can play on thanksgiving day.

[King Crimson]

No one cares to see K-state vs. Tulsa for crying out loud. No one outside of their respective states gives a rat's *** about Tulsa or Colo. St.


there are a lot of schools in Texas no one outside of Texas gives a flip about either. Tulsa has had more hoops success than ATM, Tech, and Baylor historically (if not combined)--and is somewhat competitive in football these days. do you think people cared nationally about Rice vs. Baylor in the old SWC?

CSU is a no way. they offer nothing to the conference other than a middle of the pack MWC football team in a decidedly pro-sports first TV market (Denver). as a longtime Colorado resident, i'm about halfway to saying give CU it's wish and let them scurry off to the pac 10 where they think they belong. the Denver market doesn't give the Big XII anything.

[BIG_IKE]

I know everyone is gonna laff at this but I would rather see U. of Houston in rather than N. Mex. and/or Tulsa. I'm throwing this out there because I think that just about everyone in the conference would want to play regularly in the fertile recruiting ground of Houston. And it's not just for football either. Basketball and baseball would be helped as well, IMO. The enormous obstacle to this, of course, is U. of H's small football stadium. If it could be arranged for them to play the games in Reliant Stadium......

Reliant or the Astrodome.
Hell Rice Stadium seats over 70,000 and they rarely use it.

[Boomer_Sooner_sax]

My thoughts:

Become the Big 9 by dropping 3 teams: Baylor, Iowa State, and Texas Tech. No offense to those schools, they're either a. out of the way from the rest of the conference or b. kind of out of place.

Then, we take strong members from C-USA/Mountain West (I'm thinking UTEP, TCU, Houston, New Mexico, Colorado State, and Tulsa) and have them join the 3 excluded teams to form a new Big 9. This would become a BCS conference, sort of the Southwest's answer to the Big East. These teams all have the potential now to grow equally without teams like OU and Texas hogging all the talent. (yes, I know ISU is pretty far north from everyone, but they are now anyway). We do away with divisions and keep the 8 game conference schedule, and the other Big 9 does the same.

edit: for football only; Tech could be replaced by Aggy..

How is Tech out of place, but UTEP isn't? Tech is a good Big XII school. They are the only football team to be bowl eligible every year of existance of the conference. I think that is a huge mistake. Also, why kick out Iowa State. They have been in the conferece a long time. I know they are mediocore at best, but why replace on mediocore school with another. None of those schools are any better than them.

[Tear Down This Wall]

What the writer fails to understand is that allowing Texas to call the shots already ruined one conference. The only damn AD with a brain in his head at the formation of the Big 12 was Tom Osborne. The dildoes that run the Big 12 now will most certainly negotiate another crappy TV deal. Thus, we can look forward to decades of Indiana versus Iowa down here in Dallas.

More than any TV deal we need to kick out Baylor and Texas Tech. Worthless, last biscuit left-stealing, pigeon fackers. Baylor to Con-USA or Sun Belt, Tech to Mountain WAC.

[BIG_IKE]

umm....Tech has had more winning seasons than we have in the Big 12

[arcman46]

I would absolutely love to have an OU-UT matchup AND an OU-Nebraska matchup each year like it used to be in the Big 8. I think it was over at Collegefootballnews.com last year or the year before that had a great article on conference realignment which would lead into a playoff system. As much as I hate to say it, the only way to have a REAL conference championship is to do it the way that the PAC 10 has this year, where each team plays every other team in the conference. The problem with conference championship games is what we found out in 2003 when we lost to K-State in the conference game. As I told some friends then, the problem is that all the conferences need to have a championship game, or it penalizes teams that play in the Big-12, SEC, or ACC.

[Fraggle145]

like the Big 12 has any control over who wins the tournament

i'm not a fan of the 9th game either, it only really makes sense for OU/Nebraska

the SEC doesn't play an extra game, do they? they just schedule some teams less often and keep the "rivalry" game


SEC plays 8 and keeps certain rivalries going. The PAC-10 switched to a 9 game schedule this year now that the 12 game schedule is permanant. They are the only conference with a 9 game schedule. I would have no problem with a 9 game schedule, just give everyone a designated rival from the other division to complement NU/OU, for example UT/CU, MU/TAMU, Baylor/KU, OSU/ISU, KSU/TTU. I think that would work just fine, if College football is going to remain without a playoff, why impose an artifical one on yourselves with a CCG? A 9 game conference slate would yield a true champion most of the time.

I've said it before and I'll say it again... if UGA (SEC East) and Auburn (SEC West) can keep its rivalry going (the longest continually running rivalry in the south) and they are in separate divisions then we should play Nebraska EVERY YEAR. They just rotate one game instead of two, i cant imagine that would make scheduling more difficult. Hell we could even go with royals idea... I think Bama and Tenn play eachother every year. We dont need a 9th game. we just need to be a better conference, that is how the SEC gets away with saying they beat eachother up with inferior nonconference competition. It could also be an artifact of the fact that they dont play offense over there. We should keep the chmapionship game, if not then we should pull a Big 11 and not play against everyone and have 8 champions. The Pac 10 nutted up at least and play 9 conference games, but it still isnt the same. They should add Fresno and Boise St.

[snp]

Oh God, the conference realignment arguement discussion...


umm....Tech has had more winning seasons than we have in the Big 12

Congratulations on being mediocre for a long period of time. Winning seasons aren't a big deal in college football. We go 10-2 and people are calling for Stoops head.

[BIG_IKE]

Oh God, the conference realignment arguement discussion...



Congratulations on being mediocre for a long period of time. Winning seasons aren't a big deal in college football. We go 10-2 and people are calling for Stoops head.

Thats not true..
I have not heard anyone calling for Stoops head.
Besides, he has lost at least 2 games EVERY season since the NC except 04'.

[snp]

You haven't been around that long.

[yermom]

losing to Texass and Oregon is different than losing to the Pokes, that tends to make people panic ;)

[BIG_IKE]

Anyone who is calling for Stoops head is crazy...I just don't see a whole lot of good coaches out there anymore. Stoops needs to pull an Rc Slocum though and shuffle in some new staff members.

[Octavian]

who should be replaced?

[BIG_IKE]

Octavian..thats a whole new thread there buddy..

[yermom]

i nominate the equipment guy and the the guy that is supposed to catch the RB that is diving into the endzone ;)

i think it's very interesting that Bo Pellini's defense at LSU is pretty dang good though

[Octavian]

Octavian..thats a whole new thread there buddy..

good sidestep

[TUSooner]

***That really grinds my gears.
SEC teams beating each other up = THE SEC is tough
Big 12 Teams beating each other up - The Big 12 is down
Amen.