Careful what you wish for…
Remember that one? Well, that’s also my advice – albeit belatedly – for fans and alums of Big 12 college football powers like Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas. And going forward, KU‘s whine-and-cheese crowd who can’t stop gazing wistfully on booking a birth in the Big 10 conference.
My Mizzou-loving pal Will Gregory, loves to boast about how much more money his school’s athletics department gets after bailing the Big 12 ten years back to join the almighty SEC.
Just one problem…
In addition to pissing off many of their beloved – former rivals like Kansas – they’ve been bumping around the bowls of college sports, while leaving scores of their area brethren bored out of their minds. All while slipping past boring schools like Vanderbilt, North Texas and Central Michigan, while getting their you-know-what’s handed to them by the likes of Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia.
The $64 million question: Who cares these days which schools MU wins or looses to?
By contrast, the thrill of slipping past Nebraska in 2007 and playing KU at Arrowhead was surreal.
Missouri was ranked No.3 and Kansas No. 2; the winner was to be Numero 1.
It was the oldest Division One rivalry – according to Sports Illustrated – Kansas was averaging 45.8 points per game, Mizzou 42.5 – but Missouri ended up winning 36-28.
Five years later MU bailed on the Big 12 and KU fired its Phat-but- cruel head coach Mark Mangino and has sucked at football ever since – until recently – when they kicked outgoing Big 12 school Texas at home, 57-56.
Long story short, all the teams that bailed on the Big 12 – searching for bigger bucks in bigger conferences – have struggled to achieve anything close to their glory days in the Big 8/Big 12.
Richard Gwin/Journal World-Photo
Coach Maningo looks for a 1st down as the Hawks seemed to move the ball in the 1st half.
Texas and Oklahoma practically jettisoned the entire Big 12 earlier this year by announcing their departure to the SEC.
Once a force to be reckoned with, Colorado is little more than an afterthought/bit player in the PAC 12. And Nebraska – for decades a team that commanded respect nationally, loses to almost everybody with the exception of schools like Fordham and Northwestern.
Now Oklahoma and Texas are struggling to stay afloat as they give up many of their recruiting advantages and take some serious Big 12 losses and close calls with them on their way to the SEC to face NFL-like competition from teams like Alabama, Georgia and LSU.
Which doesn’t include the mens basketball glory they often achieved in the Big 12.
Overall, Mizzou has won zero National Championships and zero Final Fours since, and were ranked 96th in basketball going into the 2021 season, Kansas by comparison was ranked No. 3.
The moral of the story: why not dance with the one who brung ya instead of galavanting off for a few more pesos?
All the departing Big 12 teams left behind much of their prime recruiting areas, long term rivalries and have paid a steep price in terms of fan interest.
Worse yet, poor, pitiful Mizzou suffered the ultimate indignity recently, losing to former AMC Theatres broncho Stan Durwood’s lowly UMKC Roos in basketball…
At Mizzou no less, by a humiliating 80-66 score.
That’s almost like the Kansas City Star taking it on the chin from the UMKC student newspaper, The Roo News…
Pretty sad.
Different year/era, same cyclic nature collegiate sports realm… and pros. Those who think K-State would never be football mediocre, should research the pre-1967 Vince Gibson days see how bad they were – ditto KU, pre-Pepper Rodgers days, same year. Today, one ‘up’ more so the other ‘down’, but stay tuned: some point, each will head the opposite direction.
Only sports constant these parts last half century plus Kansas basketball (warning: if UCLA – still the more storied basketball school – could fall so far heights theirs yore – they did – don’t think KU cannot/will not, some point… no school is immune.
To wit, Nebraska has fallen so far football (recruiting the main culprit) they’re weekly expected to lose now – and do. Notre Dame’s legend may be secure, but likewise their tarnished brand even considering ‘modern day’ pseudo success, does not measure up yesteryears – next thing you know, Chiefs/Hank Stram’s ‘offense of the 70’s’ NFL will be found MIA/imposter.
~
A different animal (but not $o very different) pro sports. Their bow and kneel $ began late 1960*s, continuing to date (integrity the game, take a number; don’t call us, we’ll NEVER call you again.)
NBA advertising on jerseys already fact, NFL helmets, jerseys, shoes already groaning under the logo-weight ‘hey look at me/our company everybody!’, you heard the latest?
As Kerouac predicted, billionaire owners/cohorts millionaire players at it again, bleed the turnip$ some more. N̶o̶t̶ ̶y̶e̶t̶ never content, half the league (precursor ‘every’ team) MLB becoming post season entrants is soon to become law of the land theirs, nod the next collective bargaining agreement, or soon thereaft. NFL – already compromised to include ‘no team left behind’ oversaturation post season, will follow suit in due time.
How low can they publicly go? Keep digging deep that wallet, rube$.
Nicely done…