Gundy wants 9th game

[Scotty]

Gundy advocates 9-game conference schedule for Big 12
Associated Press

Updated: September 10, 2007, 9:47 PM ET

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said Monday he would prefer to do away with the Big 12's divisional format and have each team play nine conference games instead of eight.

Gundy said he proposed the change at the conference's spring meetings, but "everybody laughed at me."

"I wanted to play nine in-league games because everybody's trying to cut back on travel ... it would be good for the fans, it would be good competition, and you'd rotate more," said Gundy, whose Cowboys will play their second straight Sun Belt Conference opponent Friday when they face Troy. "And in my opinion, the two teams that have the best record in this league should play for the championship. I don't care who they are."

The Big Ten and Pacific 10 conferences already use a nine-game conference schedule, although each of those conferences have less teams than the Big 12. Pac-10 teams are able to play each of the conference's other nine teams, while Big Ten schools face all but one of their league foes each season.

Big 12 teams play each of the five other teams in their division, plus three of the teams from the opposite division each year. Teams in opposite divisions play each other twice every four years.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said he would support adding a ninth game, but only if it meant eliminating the conference championship game and the North and South divisions.

"That's the extra game maybe that everybody's looking for, I don't know," Stoops said. "That's not a bad idea, but I don't see how it would work with two divisions. Those other teams that do (play nine games) don't have divisions like we do."

Under the nine-game format, Stoops didn't think it would be practical to have the top two teams in the division play a championship game when the Big Ten and Pac-10 don't have title games.

"Now your BCS opportunities aren't real good if you're just going to take the two best teams in the championship game," Stoops said. "Your likelihood of getting two in any BCS games is pretty much out the window. I don't see financially why that would work."

Gundy said he hadn't considered what effect such a change would have on rivalries such as Oklahoma-Texas, which has been played every year since 1929 -- well before the teams were brought together in the Big 12. On the flip side, the formation of the Big 12 ended the annual meetings between Oklahoma and Nebraska that had taken place in the Big Eight. The teams now meet twice every four years.

"I didn't get that far. I'm not smart enough to figure all that out," Gundy said. "I just felt like we should play the extra game in this league."


When you aren't OU or Texas, is must suck playing in the South.:cool:

[Will]

This would not work with twelve teams and the two divisons the Big 12 has

[Scotty]

This would not work with twelve teams and the two divisons the Big 12 has



"I didn't get that far. I'm not smart enough to figure all that out," Gundy said.


Heh.


Maybe you should have told him.:D

[goingoneight]

Gundy said, but "everybody laughed at me."

Seems he should be used to this by now... :confused:

[goingoneight]

The idea is no far from the truth, though. I'd personally like to see us play Nebraska every year. Not having that Thanksgiving holiday rivalry has killed their program the last decade or so. It's huge for recruiting and always a fun event to close the regular season.

[Jewstin]

Heh ... the two best teams play each other in a conference championship -> two OU/Texas games every year?

Good grief.

[Crucifax Autumn]

Why would Gundy want to lose another game?

[aurorasooner]

I personally don't like this play 3 team from the other division every 2 years, then play the other 3 teams for 2 years, but I would think it would be worse for some North division teams, case in point, is Iowa state play OU and Texas back to back. It doesn't make any difference this year because, if their first 2 games are any indication, they're not going to be in the north division title race, but if they were, that would be a "screwing" imo. However, with 12 teams, that's the only even-close-to-a-fair way to determine the conference champion, other than playing each team playing each other and having one OOC game. As far as Gundy's 9 game Big 12 schedule, that BS, and I can understand why he got the giggles given to him. If Gundy's worried about reducing travel expenses he can schedule TCU, N.Mex, CSU, Arkansas, Lsu, Arizona, Arizona State, Wyoming, UTEP, Iowa instead of Troy and FAU.

[Crucifax Autumn]

He should stay at the kiddie table and let the adults handle the real business of the conference while he plays with his football player action figures and talks with his imaginary friends about the world's greatest offense.

[olevetonahill]

scotty an goingon 8 nailed it
Hell I laugh at him cause he looks funny !

[Jacie]

As much as we all hate it, the current formula is the one that works best for a 12-team, 2-division league. The championship game is only a problem because two other BCS conferences don't have one. The problem would go away if the Big 10 could find a suitable team to bring thier number up to 12 and go to a similar format. That would leave the Pac 10 as the lone holdout. Maybe then the other three conferences could force the issue.

[hgarmorer]

I like how Coach Stoops pretty much said as nice as possible that it was a dumbass idea. Classic

[fwsooner22]

I think Gundy just conceded defeat......he basically said we cannot win so please change the rules............

[usmc-sooner]

Gundy also proposed he'd like to be able to play with 15 guys on defense, he further states that he really wished T. Boone hadn't given Reid cash so he could bench him in favor of Robinson.

[JohnnyMack]

The big hang-up in going to a 9 game rotating schedule is losing OU/Saxet.

The big plus is being able to comfortably get 2 teams into the BCS.

Why not play all five "south" teams each year and four of 6 "north" teams each year but still not have divisions or a CCG?

[stoops the eternal pimp]

"They're all gonna laugh at you." -Margaret White, Carries mom

[IronSooner]

"And in my opinion, the two teams that have the best record in this league should play for the championship. I don't care who they are."

This already happens. It's held every year in Dallas in early October.

[FaninAma]

So what type of pomeade does Mike wear? Seeing as he's an aggie, I'm betting it's not Dapper Dan.

[Scott D]

you gotta see it from Gundy's perspective....one more conference game means one less game to travel farther away which means 5 more cases of grease for his hair.

[birddog]

So what type of pomeade does Mike wear? Seeing as he's an aggie, I'm betting it's not Dapper Dan.

well then it's got to be Fop.

[OSUAggie]

The big hang-up in going to a 9 game rotating schedule is losing OU/Saxet.

The big plus is being able to comfortably get 2 teams into the BCS.

Why not play all five "south" teams each year and four of 6 "north" teams each year but still not have divisions or a CCG?

OU-Texas doesn't necessarily have to be lost. The SEC has 'locked-in' rivalries that play every year cross-division. The OU-Texas game could be 'locked', as could the OU-Nebraska game.

The only thing I find wrong with Mike's point is that a 9-game conference schedule shouldn't have a CCG on top of that.

And his scenario does away with the divisions. So, OU might not play A&M or Tech or Baylor every year. It's completely rotating with a few locked games for each team.

[JohnnyMack]

If we were allowed to lock Saxet and osuck I'd do it.

Is tOSU and Michigan locked in?

[douxpaysan]

you gotta see it from Gundy's perspective....one more conference game means one less game to travel farther away which means 5 more cases of grease for his hair.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/mightyboosh/images/baddies/leeroy.jpgNot Dapper Dan...not the Fop...just that stuff that goes plop, plop, plop.

[royalfan5]

If we were allowed to lock Saxet and osuck I'd do it.

Is tOSU and Michigan locked in?
Yes, I think everybody in the Big 10 has a locked game or two. Purdue and Indiana is one. Iowa and Minnesota as well.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

Tennessee and Alabama is a locked in cross division game in the SEC every year.

[I_SMELL_FEAR]

yeah, sounds like Gundy wants out of the South division.

I think the Big 12 should reorganize into a 2 tier conference. In the top tier you have:

OU
Texas
Mizzou
aTm
Texas Tech
Nebraska

in the lower tier you have:

Iowa St.
Ok. St.
K St.
Kansas
Baylor
Colorado

The top tier teams battle it out, and the winner gets the Big 12 Championship, without having to play the extra championship game. The lower tier could have their pillow fights and then every 2 years the team with the best winning % from lower tier will replace the team with the lowest winning % from the top tier. If a team that has ever been in the lower tier ever wins the top tier, and claims the championship then we re-form the Big 12 as it currently is, and re-try this whole North South thing.

[RedstickSooner]

I'd be all for it if we played 9 conference games and eliminated the championship game.

Championship game just adds unneeded wear-and-tear on the best team in the conference, and thereby reduces the conference's chances of bringing home a national title, or of winning BCS games (since it also adds undue wear-and-tear on the loser, er, Big-12 North representative)

The SEC, Big-12 and ACC (don't they have a championship game, now) put themselves at a competitive disadvantage by playing a championship game. We'd be wise to drop it. I realize the CCG brings in money -- but I think our conference can afford to miss out on that particular payday.

[sooner94]

Why would Gundy want to lose another game?

But it would still be a moral victory.

[SoonerDood]

I'm surprised this isn't getting more support from the local media. Everything Gundy says to them is considered Gospel/Canon.

[DrZaius]

I don;t know about all of this but I would like to adopt what the SEC does. Each team choose a team on the other division that it plays every year. I would like to see the BIG 12 do that. This way we can have our Nebbish game back every year. That would be cool.

[proudsoonergal]

I don;t know about all of this but I would like to adopt what the SEC does. Each team choose a team on the other division that it plays every year. I would like to see the BIG 12 do that. This way we can have our Nebbish game back every year. That would be cool.

It would be cool for the tradition, but not necessarily fair. Imagine the fight between Texas and Aggie about who would get Iowa State or Kansas (or whatever team looks to be the worst that year) as their locked North division rival.

[Crucifax Autumn]

I like it just the way it is. I miss the Nebbish game yearly, but the only time it's really worth it is when they are good and when they are good, they'll play us in at least half the CCGs

[goingoneight]

How about this...

... we do the SEC (world's toughest conference) a favor and give them Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas State and Okie Light. In exchange for easy victories (extra OOC patsy-types), we get Arkansas.

The (Real) Big 10

OU (guarantee UT and NU every year)
TX (guarantee aTm and OU every year)
NU (guarantee OU and CU every year)
aTm (guarantee UT and sheep every year)
TT
KU
CU
TCU
Ark
Mizzou

... I'm sure we could make it happen. :D

[Taxman71]

OU, Texas, Nebraska and usually Colo, KState and A$M have a vested interest in keeping the remaining 6 Big 12 teams as the "weak sisters" of the conference. No way any of those schools are going to give the bottom 6 any competitive advantage, esp. through scheduling. That is why Baylor, Iowa St, Osuck, et al. will never leave our conference and the coaches are not clammoring to have Arkie, Colo St, TCU or the like come in. Coaches like to have these easy games without having to defend playing them.

[goingoneight]

Seriously... who negged me for that post, and why? :confused: