A year ago it looked like the Big 12 might be toast…
A handful of schools that made up the college sports conference many Kansas Citian’s grew up with had bailed 10 years earlier to escape bullying by Texas and Oklahoma. They included, Missouri and Texas A&M to the SEC; Nebraska to the Big 10; and Colorado to the Pac 12.
Then last summer, Texas and OU said they too were going to the SEC for bigger bucks. Which left Kansas, K-State and the remaining Big 12 schools in the lurch. With just eight left, starting in 2025 many thought the Big 12 could be kaput.
Ah, but not so fast…
The Big 12 went out and signed significant schools Brigham Young, Houston, Cincinnati and the University of Central Florida in Orlando – all of which begin conference play next year.
Bullet dodged.
And just as something approaching a calm was starting to set in, all heck broke loose again a couple weeks back, when Southern Cal and UCLA announced they were quitting the Pac 12 to join the Big 10.
Which calls into question now if the Pac 12 can survive.
The $64 billion question: Which Pac 12 schools can the Big 12 lure.
At present, the betting money is on Arizona – my alma mater here in Tucson – and Colorado.
Should those schools or any others leave the Pac 12, the consensus is it would doom the west coast’s premier college sports league.
In recent days there are a number of developments in that regard.
Take a column and radio interview with Denver Post sports writer Sean Keeler, who wrote that Colorado should jump at the chance to rejoin the Big 12.
“I would say the fan base would be 60-40 Big 12 and maybe even higher,” Keeler said in a podcast interview. “They feel burned, they were duped – they feel duped by the Pac 12 – they feel like red-headed mountain step cousins. You know, it’s not been good. The fans don’t like the Pac 12.”
Like Mizzou, Colorado’s gone from Big 12 powerhouse to bottom feeder.
Unfortunately, the powers that be at Colorado – many of whom hail from California – view the Big 12 as a “JUCO league,” Keeler says.
“They don’t want to be in that, but the fans totally do,” he says.
Enter retired Big 8 / Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas who says he’s bullish on the new Big 12.
“They took a negative – which was OU and Texas leaving – and brought in the four best programs remaining and made it a positive,” Neinas says. “They’ve got an exciting conference now. They really do. I think the Big 12 is going to flourish because of the competitiveness of the new members and what’s there…It’s going to be an outstanding conference now.”
Neinas also weighed in on Mizzou’s misfortunes joining the SEC:
“If you take a look at what has happened to Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado, how well are they doing where they are?” Neinas asks. “If they had remained with the Big 12 conference, I think that they would have done better – maybe not as well financially – but I think they would be more comfortable. I think especially Missouri and Nebraska, their recruiting has been hurt.”
As for the Big 12 luring Pac 12 schools – like Arizona, Colorado – maybe even Utah, Oregon and Washington – how long did it take Neinas to sign West Virgina and TCU to replace the departing Big 12 schools in 2012?
“Thirty seconds,” he says. “TCU was a slam dunk. As for the other position, we had 15 institutions that had signaled an interest in joining the conference.”
Lost in the college sports money grabs:
“Here’s what we are losing sight of, education,” Neinas says. “No one talks about education anymore. You can’t go transfer from one place to another and be on a degree track program. When the coaches go to recruit, the recruits and their families ask, what’s the NIL program? They don’t ask about what kind of education will m y son get. We’re losing that. That’s what college athletics is supposed to be about – helping young people gain an education. And now we’ve become so interested in the dollar, that we forget that a good educations produces a dollar in the long run.”
The only question about Colorado athletics that I have is: Whatever happened to House Guest?
You got me on that one…
You talking about that old comedy flick?
He was a basketball player at Colorado in the early ’90’s
I like how this is landing. I spend considerable time in Arizona and Seattle and the AZ, ASU and WA fans I talk to want to be in the Big 12. I think it is a great fit and those schools (and OR) have pretty awesome stadiums, locations and game experiences. I think our local fans will make the trips.
You’re probably right, Rainbow…
That said, how much the golf, track, cross country, tennis and softball teams enjoy dragging ass half across the country for routine games and meets may prove time consuming.
Guess we’ll see maybe…
Very good point Wildman.
Grazie…love being called wildman…
hearne…the students at Boulder don’t give a damn about where they play football. The scent of pot is everywhere and they are all too stoned to know how many points a team gets for a safety. Dream on about your sportwriting skills. Stick to the sOS you’ve written about for 100 years….glazer…glazer….glazer…glazer.
May they all rest in peace without your gossip about their lives. And get your fire hose ready because it ain’t too far off when tuscon burns down.
And say hello to the boxman. Everytime I see a hobo on the street my mind thinks of him!!!!!!!!!hahahahahahahahah!
Well, I’d say any doubts as to the authenticity and identity of the H Man, are past tense…
Not sure what happened – maybe he went into a coma and recently awoke – but for what it’s worth, welcome back!~
Need I remind you that in terms of editorial authenticity, while I was a columnist, I was held largely to the same standards of journalism as other reporters at The Star.
Standards which no longer come close to existing these days as most readers well understand.
Which is why i did any number of “news stories” that ran on the front pages of the main newspaper, the Metro section, sports and business.
The “bowman” is alive (and I presume) well and doing gosh knows what in terms of writing.
I’ve invited him back but he feels I undercut him in a handful of ways and is harboring resentment.
Too bad for all concerned though.
Understandably he didn’t like being edited – few people do – unless you’re making a fairly substantial salary, which he was not.
As for Boulder students, they are not the ones that make or break the school’s football program.
They’ve been stoners for decades prior to leaving the Big 12, but not EVERY student sits around chomping on gummy bears.
Had they not been – according to some – “lied to” by the Pac 12, they’d probably be far better off both in football and mens basketball.
It doesn’t take a degree in sports writing to figure that one out.
where’s southy. Did his house get “raided”? They find some old TRUMP 2020 signs?
Sir Dwight its alive and well… a bit disappointed in some of the recent voting results, but he’ll be back,,,not to worry.
Hey, you came back from the dead which is far more surprising, frankly.