Left Behind: A Quick Dose Of Post Big 12 Reality

[Vertigo 20267]

53 minutes ago, royiv said:

How many showed up in Austin last year? Serious question.

Last year not every team was in attendance I know that, but I can't find any official numbers. This year all 32 teams were there. 

[oSuJeff97 3435]

1 hour ago, Vertigo said:

Yes, but you also have marginal attendance at some of the schools without any top prospects. There may be 5 or 6 scouts at a pro day in Morgantown, especially if it is later in the process. 

Conceptually I understand what you're saying but I think there would be more than 5 or 6. Last year OSU had something like 28/32 teams at its pro day without having any serious low round prospects.

And just to clarify I'm not arguing that the additional exposure from Big 12 pro day wouldn't be a net positive for all involved. I was just arguing against the specific point that "scouts are lazy" given I know a scout and he works his ass off travelling all over the place almost every week during the season and then goes to multiple pro days from schools all over the country, plus the combine, senior bowl, etc., etc.

[TKthunder2 4981]

38 minutes ago, oSuJeff97 said:

Conceptually I understand what you're saying but I think there would be more than 5 or 6. Last year OSU had something like 28/32 teams at its pro day without having any serious low round prospects.

And just to clarify I'm not arguing that the additional exposure from Big 12 pro day wouldn't be a net positive for all involved. I was just arguing against the specific point that "scouts are lazy" given I know a scout and he works his ass off travelling all over the place almost every week during the season and then goes to multiple pro days from schools all over the country, plus the combine, senior bowl, etc., etc.

Not all scouts/scouting departments are created equal. I don’t personally know a ton about NFL scouting (so if I’m wrong, I’m wrong) but I do have some knowledge about MLB scouting and I can guarantee you 1000% that there are lazy scouts living off a few great/lucky finds in their hay day and lazy organizations that don’t spend the money on prospecting that are well known.

[oSuJeff97 3435]

58 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

Not all scouts/scouting departments are created equal. I don’t personally know a ton about NFL scouting (so if I’m wrong, I’m wrong) but I do have some knowledge about MLB scouting and I can guarantee you 1000% that there are lazy scouts living off a few great/lucky finds in their hay day and lazy organizations that don’t spend the money on prospecting that are well known.

That's not surprising to me.

I'm guessing there are pretty big differences between MLB and NFL scouting... primarily just based on the sheer number of players that have to be evaluated in the former vs. the latter. I mean, there are like 1,200 players taken in the MLB draft every year vs. 259 in the NFL. 

The hit rate on MLB prospects is just crazy low. Less than 20% of all those players drafted in the MLB draft on a given year will even make it to the Show, let alone end up being even a very good  player.  So given the super low "hit rate" I can see how guys would coast for a while if they had a big "hit" at some point.

Edited March 16, 2023 by oSuJeff97

['stache 21774]

I think it’s clearly both to give the new XII schools exposure they might not get since none are Bama or LSU, and also for media content and relationship with the NFL. I appreciate that Yormark accepts who we are and maximizes what we can do, not pretending that any of us are equal to bluebooods or have a realistic chance at become one.

[Uncle Nate 2097]

7 hours ago, 'stache said:

I think it’s clearly both to give the new XII schools exposure they might not get since none are Bama or LSU, and also for media content and relationship with the NFL. I appreciate that Yormark accepts who we are and maximizes what we can do, not pretending that any of us are equal to bluebooods or have a realistic chance at become one.

I think the main reason, and the biggest benefit, is simply getting the Big 12 football brand on the NFL network in the late winter/early spring.  Yes, it's a great opportunity for the players and others, but it's an even bigger opportunity to just keep the brand out there in the offseason as well.

[TrashMaster G 17391]

On 3/15/2023 at 10:59 AM, Francisco 2.0 said:

 

Easily the smartest thing the conference has done in over 20 years, if not ever.

How many years has it been since they let aggy walk without a peep?

[TKthunder2 4981]

11 minutes ago, TrashMaster G said:

How many years has it been since they let aggy walk without a peep?

I think Baylor peeped

[TrashMaster G 17391]

3 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

I think Baylor peeped

What did they have to complain about? Did they feel like they were getting raped?

[TKthunder2 4981]

22 minutes ago, TrashMaster G said:

What did they have to complain about? Did they feel like they were getting raped?

That's a joke son, I say, that's a joke.

Because peep means in your context “a feeble shrill sound : cheep” but it also means “to look slyly, pryingly, or furtively” like many rapists often do in Waco.

https://wacotrib.com/news/baylor-throws-a-block-to-stop-texas-a-m-leaving-big-12/article_b2297edd-bcc1-5f51-b6cc-5be142836a9a.html

[DFW Horn 6118]

13 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

That's a joke son, I say, that's a joke.

Because peep means in your context “a feeble shrill sound : cheep” but it also means “to look slyly, pryingly, or furtively” like many rapists often do in Waco.

https://wacotrib.com/news/baylor-throws-a-block-to-stop-texas-a-m-leaving-big-12/article_b2297edd-bcc1-5f51-b6cc-5be142836a9a.html

[ImissWallyPryor 9045]

 

[Loose Stool 112]

Big 12 data rights deal:

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2023/03/21/big-12-closes-in-on-data-rights-deal.aspx

 

Spoiler

The Big 12 Conference is finalizing its first revenue-producing data and statistics partnership, industry sources say. A decision on a data partner is expected in the coming two-to-three weeks and it will require approval by the Big 12’s board. Given the conference’s deep relationship with Endeavor, which has advised the Big 12 on many issues, including its media rights, sources say IMG Arena is the frontrunner for the data rights deal. IMG Arena, which is owned by Endeavor, serves as a data distribution partner for professional leagues like the MLS and the PGA Tour.

A league’s data partner typically manages and distributes official statistics to media and fan sites. It remains to be seen if this Big 12 deal also will include the rights to sell data to sports betting services, but they are believed to be part of these negotiations. Those rights could drive up the financial value of the deal significantly. So far, only two conferences have struck data partnerships -- the Mid-American with Genius Sports and the Pac-12 with Tempus Ex Machina. Those arrangements did not include the ability to sell stats to sports betting services at the time.

 

[Uncle Nate 2097]

43 minutes ago, Loose Stool said:

Big 12 data rights deal:

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2023/03/21/big-12-closes-in-on-data-rights-deal.aspx

 

  Hide contents

The Big 12 Conference is finalizing its first revenue-producing data and statistics partnership, industry sources say. A decision on a data partner is expected in the coming two-to-three weeks and it will require approval by the Big 12’s board. Given the conference’s deep relationship with Endeavor, which has advised the Big 12 on many issues, including its media rights, sources say IMG Arena is the frontrunner for the data rights deal. IMG Arena, which is owned by Endeavor, serves as a data distribution partner for professional leagues like the MLS and the PGA Tour.

A league’s data partner typically manages and distributes official statistics to media and fan sites. It remains to be seen if this Big 12 deal also will include the rights to sell data to sports betting services, but they are believed to be part of these negotiations. Those rights could drive up the financial value of the deal significantly. So far, only two conferences have struck data partnerships -- the Mid-American with Genius Sports and the Pac-12 with Tempus Ex Machina. Those arrangements did not include the ability to sell stats to sports betting services at the time.

 

I had no idea such a thing existed.

[Loose Stool 112]

Same here.  At least Brett is trying to monetize what's left as best he can.

[DFW Horn 6118]

2 hours ago, Loose Stool said:

Big 12 data rights deal:

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2023/03/21/big-12-closes-in-on-data-rights-deal.aspx

 

  Hide contents

The Big 12 Conference is finalizing its first revenue-producing data and statistics partnership, industry sources say. A decision on a data partner is expected in the coming two-to-three weeks and it will require approval by the Big 12’s board. Given the conference’s deep relationship with Endeavor, which has advised the Big 12 on many issues, including its media rights, sources say IMG Arena is the frontrunner for the data rights deal. IMG Arena, which is owned by Endeavor, serves as a data distribution partner for professional leagues like the MLS and the PGA Tour.

A league’s data partner typically manages and distributes official statistics to media and fan sites. It remains to be seen if this Big 12 deal also will include the rights to sell data to sports betting services, but they are believed to be part of these negotiations. Those rights could drive up the financial value of the deal significantly. So far, only two conferences have struck data partnerships -- the Mid-American with Genius Sports and the Pac-12 with Tempus Ex Machina. Those arrangements did not include the ability to sell stats to sports betting services at the time.

 

The Big 12 may as well get a piece of the gambling action. I also had no idea this opportunity even existed. Credit to Yormark for trying to maximize the league's revenue streams and exposure with fresh ideas. Hard to believe the other P5 conferences aren't working on similar agreements.

What an upgrade from the obtuse, pencil-pushing Bowlsby.

[BurntOrange&White 39661]

1 minute ago, DFW Horn said:

The Big 12 may as well get a piece of the gambling action. I also had no idea this opportunity even existed. Credit to Yormark for trying to maximize the league's revenue streams and exposure with fresh ideas. Hard to believe the other P5 conferences aren't working on similar agreements.

What an upgrade from the obtuse, pencil-pushing Bowlsby.

If he’s so smart why hasn’t he thought of a 50-70% streaming platform for their media rights deal? Lol

[DFW Horn 6118]

3 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

If he’s so smart why hasn’t he thought of a 50-70% streaming platform for their media rights deal? Lol

Well, the PAC was the first to sign a data partnership deal with Tempus Ex Machina (whatever that is). https://tempus-ex.com/about

Edited March 21, 2023 by DFW Horn

[TKthunder2 4981]

FYI about the Big 12 pro days

Quote

The event will not be open to the public and will substitute for the annual pro day trips scouts take to every Big 12 campus. 

https://www.on3.com/os/news/big-12-combine-will-other-leagues-follow-suit-nfl-scouting-combine/

[Gidnik 3251]

 

[Hank Chinaski 6310]

7 minutes ago, Gidnik said:

 

PAC CEOs/Commissioners:

[DFW Horn 6118]

Nobody can accuse Yormark of not promoting the Big 12. 

 

[Al_4_ISU 12409]

If you were designing a robot that was the opposite of Bob Bowlsby in every way, it would be Brett Yormark.

Well, I guess you'd have to make him black, but I think you get the gist.

[Huckleberry 32703]

Honestly just upset Yormark wasn't commissioner for the last decade. The entire landscape would be different. The best basketball and second best football conference over a decade shouldn't be breaking up because of revenue differences. 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Huckleberry

[Al_4_ISU 12409]

9 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

Honestly just upset Yormark wasn't commissioner for the last decade. The entire landscape would be different. The best basketball and second best football conference over a decade shouldn't be breaking up because of revenue differences. 

I'm skeptical that he could have produced enough football revenue to keep pace, but it wouldn't be for lack of effort.

The money in the Big 10 and SEC is a result of old brands and universities with 50K enrollment.  The Big 12 didn't have that, and there was nothing the best salesman in the world could do to overcome that.

Maybe he could have narrowed the gap enough that Texas and OU were content to stay, but the factors at the root of this fallout are largely historical and demographic.

[Huckleberry 32703]

I will forever believe the gap could have been MUCH narrower with proper marketing and backroom dealing. Almost none of the general public realizes how good the Big 12 has been in basketball and football. Narrow enough that Texas and Oklahoma could have stayed.

A good commissioner could have gotten the institutions all rowing the same direction and kept the drama in private. Nobody could have made Texas A&M stop complaining about big bad Texas every single day but a good commissioner would have told their administration to sit down and STFU in public just like Sankey did. 

[Richard Kimball 1492]

13 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

Honestly just upset Yormark wasn't commissioner for the last decade. The entire landscape would be different. The best basketball and second best football conference over a decade shouldn't be breaking up because of revenue differences. 

True, and Texas-Oklahoma, Oklahoma-Nebraska, Texas-aggy, Kansas-Mizzery, and several other regional matchups could have been leveraged to build the brand. 

Unfortunately, the conference thought the future was kissing ass to fat guys in ugly blazers to get a bowl invite. 

1 minute ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I'm skeptical that he could have produced enough football revenue to keep pace, but it wouldn't be for lack of effort.

The money in the Big 10 and SEC is a result of old brands and universities with 50K enrollment.  The Big 12 didn't have that, and there was nothing the best salesman in the world could do to overcome that.

Maybe he could have narrowed the gap enough that Texas and OU were content to stay, but the factors at the root of this fallout are largely historical and demographic.

Bad enough management can kill anything. Sears pioneered the mail order business and should have been Amazon. Kodak invented the digital camera. What Yormark is showing is that there are other ways to leverage your brand. 

[BurntOrange&White 39661]

Bowlsby absolutely fucked the big 12 hard with no lubrication

Edited March 23, 2023 by BurntOrange&White

[Vertigo 20267]

16 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I'm skeptical that he could have produced enough football revenue to keep pace, but it wouldn't be for lack of effort.

The money in the Big 10 and SEC is a result of old brands and universities with 50K enrollment.  The Big 12 didn't have that, and there was nothing the best salesman in the world could do to overcome that.

Maybe he could have narrowed the gap enough that Texas and OU were content to stay, but the factors at the root of this fallout are largely historical and demographic.

True, but if there was a guy out there being innovative and expanding revenue streams then I think Texas and OU might be a little more willing to let things unfold. If Texas/OU are still in the B12 post USC/UCLA's move to the B1G, then I think the possibility of pulling schools like Utah, Oregon, and Washington become much more viable. The revenue would be tilted far in the B12's favor because the TV deal would probably be another 10 mil per school at least, and the P12 would be dead in the water. You would likely also be going without cougar high, Cincinnati, and UCF in favor of westward expansion of bigger brands like the 4 corner schools.   

Edited March 23, 2023 by Vertigo

[Frank Drebin 5620]

The Big 12, run properly from the beginning, would have never allowed NU-OU to not be an annual game.  NU-Texas should have also been annual.

The Big 12 probably should have been the best 10 out of the original 12 programs (so no Baylor and cut one from the North).  It could have been a great conference.

[Al_4_ISU 12409]

18 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

I will forever believe the gap could have been MUCH narrower with proper marketing and backroom dealing. Almost none of the general public realizes how good the Big 12 has been in basketball and football. Narrow enough that Texas and Oklahoma could have stayed.

A good commissioner could have gotten the institutions all rowing the same direction and kept the drama in private. Nobody could have made Texas A&M stop complaining about big bad Texas every single day but a good commissioner would have told their administration to sit down and STFU in public just like Sankey did. 

That I agree with.

['stache 21774]

32 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Bowlsby absolutely fucked the big 12 hard with no lubrication

Has anyone ever seen him and Klavikoff in the same room together? I think they might be the same person.

[Francisco 2.0 32342]

Vision by Yormark.  What better way to strengthen the best college basketball conference; like the Big 12 Pro day for football that is so obvious, yet no other conference ever thought of it...having the conference affiliate itself with the most legendary playground court in NYC (if not the country) is a genius move.  This is something the ACC, or Big East, or even the B1G should have done.  Yet a conference with no footprint in NYC steps in and gets it done.

Long term...it seems they are content with being 3rd in football, but #1 in basketball by leaps and bounds.  That may keep Kansas from ever wandering, plus with the idea they might split off basketball rights separate from football down the road.  

[Al_4_ISU 12409]

34 minutes ago, Vertigo said:

True, but if there was a guy out there being innovative and expanding revenue streams then I think Texas and OU might be a little more willing to let things unfold. If Texas/OU are still in the B12 post USC/UCLA's move to the B1G, then I think the possibility of pulling schools like Utah, Oregon, and Washington become much more viable. The revenue would be tilted far in the B12's favor because the TV deal would probably be another 10 mil per school at least, and the P12 would be dead in the water. You would likely also be going without cougar high, Cincinnati, and UCF in favor of westward expansion of bigger brands like the 4 corner schools.   

I have a hard time envisioning the USC/UCLA move without the UT/OU move the previous year.  And if the Big 10 HAD done that anyways, the SEC and ESPN would be after UT and OU really hard right now.  Butterfly effect and all that.

I agree that Yormark is light years ahead of Bowlsby, and that UT and OU would have been happier with conference management, but I still think the desire for brand consolidation among the big network players would have eventually won the day.

Where I think Yormark could have made a difference was in facilitating some kind of deal behind the scenes where the networks pried some properties away from the Pac 12 before UT and OU headed to the SEC.  Get the dominos in order proactively.  I'm sure that's a little more attractive to UT and OU, but at the end of the day it seems that there are a handful of things that the SEC provided that even that version of the Big 12 couldn't.  For starters, both fanbases complained about the home schedule.  Is Arizona a more interesting opponent than K State?  Then you have the SECESPN propaganda that made recruiting tougher.  And there still would have been a money gap (but definitely less).

I think ultimately Yormark instead of Bowlsby would have resulted in UT and OU leaving, but it could have been a much more "win/win" type of move from the jump (I think it will end up being mutually beneficial, but that's a happy accident) without the animosity that ensued.

['stache 21774]

45 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

I will forever believe the gap could have been MUCH narrower with proper marketing and backroom dealing. Almost none of the general public realizes how good the Big 12 has been in basketball and football. Narrow enough that Texas and Oklahoma could have stayed.

A good commissioner could have gotten the institutions all rowing the same direction and kept the drama in private. Nobody could have made Texas A&M stop complaining about big bad Texas every single day but a good commissioner would have told their administration to sit down and STFU in public just like Sankey did. 

 

15 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

That I agree with.

I disagree. The creativity is for the benefit of the non-bluebloods, which all of us will be after next year. OU, UT, NU, and probably even aggy as of 1996, didn't need it, and wouldn't be super excited for stuff like that. Pro day in particular, the bluebloods want the focus on them and their dozens of legitimate prospects. Throwing in a few prospects from OSU and Tech would be considered a distraction. And the ratings disparity would still exist, bluebloods have a century of history dominating their markets, nothing would bring Baylor or ISU to that level. 

[Al_4_ISU 12409]

2 minutes ago, 'stache said:

 

I disagree. The creativity is for the benefit of the non-bluebloods, which all of us will be after next year. OU, UT, NU, and probably even aggy as of 1996, didn't need it, and wouldn't be super excited for stuff like that. Pro day in particular, the bluebloods want the focus on them and their dozens of legitimate prospects. Throwing in a few prospects from OSU and Tech would be considered a distraction. And the ratings disparity would still exist, bluebloods have a century of history dominating their markets, nothing would bring Baylor or ISU to that level. 

Yeah, I'm not saying that his creative marketing avenues would have moved the needle for the bluebloods, but I was agreeing with the point that he would have done a better job of fostering a collaborative espirit de corps among the conference.

['stache 21774]

With the explosion in media revenues based on ratings, I don't think anything could have prevented blueblood consolidation. I think the next round will be expelling the "leaches" from the BIG and SEC, or implementing uneven revenues. When the difference is $40-50M a year, nothing is going to stop it from happening.

[Al_4_ISU 12409]

2 minutes ago, 'stache said:

With the explosion in media revenues based on ratings, I don't think anything could have prevented blueblood consolidation. I think the next round will be expelling the "leaches" from the BIG and SEC, or implementing uneven revenues. When the difference is $40-50M a year, nothing is going to stop it from happening.

I agree completely.  With pretty much all of this.

God, I'd love to watch Iowa get booted from the Big 10, or be forced to take the public haircut.

[Tex Pete 20179]

1 hour ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I'm skeptical that he could have produced enough football revenue to keep pace, but it wouldn't be for lack of effort.

The money in the Big 10 and SEC is a result of old brands and universities with 50K enrollment.  The Big 12 didn't have that, and there was nothing the best salesman in the world could do to overcome that.

Maybe he could have narrowed the gap enough that Texas and OU were content to stay, but the factors at the root of this fallout are largely historical and demographic.

But from my perspective, it truly seemed that Bowlsby carried the flag for those who felt "Texas makes all the decisions" and intentionally stuck his finger in our eye repeatedly. We could have all been working together, but Bowlsby was happy cashing paychecks and let the conference itself flounder. OU's interests were always represented, and that worked for Texas where our interests intersected. But the abysmal officiating and failure to correct it has been just one example of Texas not being in control of anything. (and I know Iowa State was also consistently on the short end of officiating faux pas).

[Al_4_ISU 12409]

3 minutes ago, Tex Pete said:

But from my perspective, it truly seemed that Bowlsby carried the flag for those who felt "Texas makes all the decisions" and intentionally stuck his finger in our eye repeatedly. We could have all been working together, but Bowlsby was happy cashing paychecks and let the conference itself flounder. OU's interests were always represented, and that worked for Texas where our interests intersected. But the abysmal officiating and failure to correct it has been just one example of Texas not being in control of anything. (and I know Iowa State was also consistently on the short end of officiating faux pas).

I think he was more generally asleep at the wheel than part of any particular agenda.  The only time I ever noticed him go after Texas, was in the aftermath of the exit.  But I'm not a Texas fan and wasn't really keeping receipts for how he treated the various schools either.

[Tex Pete 20179]

16 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I think he was more generally asleep at the wheel than part of any particular agenda.  The only time I ever noticed him go after Texas, was in the aftermath of the exit.  But I'm not a Texas fan and wasn't really keeping receipts for how he treated the various schools either.

If you just look at how the 2015 Oklahoma State officiating shitshow went and how he responded to it, that tells the whole tale.

[Huckleberry 32703]

42 minutes ago, 'stache said:

 

I disagree. The creativity is for the benefit of the non-bluebloods, which all of us will be after next year. OU, UT, NU, and probably even aggy as of 1996, didn't need it, and wouldn't be super excited for stuff like that. Pro day in particular, the bluebloods want the focus on them and their dozens of legitimate prospects. Throwing in a few prospects from OSU and Tech would be considered a distraction. And the ratings disparity would still exist, bluebloods have a century of history dominating their markets, nothing would bring Baylor or ISU to that level. 

You're missing the forest for the trees. Yormark is showing vision and marketing chops, if he was here in 2010 then he wouldn't be making the same exact moves. But everything he has done suggests he would have done something competent, much more than the leadership the Big 12 has actually has before him. 

I'm not saying oh man this conference pro day and Rucker Park scheme would have saved the conference. I'm saying a clearly competent commissioner could have. 

[hook me 2080]

36 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

You're missing the forest for the trees. Yormark is showing vision and marketing chops, if he was here in 2010 then he wouldn't be making the same exact moves. But everything he has done suggests he would have done something competent, much more than the leadership the Big 12 has actually has before him. 

I'm not saying oh man this conference pro day and Rucker Park scheme would have saved the conference. I'm saying a clearly competent commissioner could have. 

The Beebe/Bowlsby 1-2 punch was something the Big 12 is lucky to have survived.

[redswingline 1057]

57 minutes ago, hook me said:

The Beebe/Bowlsby 1-2 punch was something the Big 12 is lucky to have survived.

I do appreciate Beebe, though. With a real commissioner aggy may have stayed.

[Park Gothic 4979]

3 hours ago, Frank Drebin said:

The Big 12 probably should have been the best 10 out of the original 12 programs (so no Baylor and cut one from the North).  It could have been a great conference.

You can just say ISU. 

[TrashMaster G 17391]

3 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I have a hard time envisioning the USC/UCLA move without the UT/OU move the previous year.  And if the Big 10 HAD done that anyways, the SEC and ESPN would be after UT and OU really hard right now.  Butterfly effect and all that.

I agree that Yormark is light years ahead of Bowlsby, and that UT and OU would have been happier with conference management, but I still think the desire for brand consolidation among the big network players would have eventually won the day.

Where I think Yormark could have made a difference was in facilitating some kind of deal behind the scenes where the networks pried some properties away from the Pac 12 before UT and OU headed to the SEC.  Get the dominos in order proactively.  I'm sure that's a little more attractive to UT and OU, but at the end of the day it seems that there are a handful of things that the SEC provided that even that version of the Big 12 couldn't.  For starters, both fanbases complained about the home schedule.  Is Arizona a more interesting opponent than K State?  Then you have the SECESPN propaganda that made recruiting tougher.  And there still would have been a money gap (but definitely less).

I think ultimately Yormark instead of Bowlsby would have resulted in UT and OU leaving, but it could have been a much more "win/win" type of move from the jump (I think it will end up being mutually beneficial, but that's a happy accident) without the animosity that ensued.

But aggy would still have been pissed.  That's my favorite part.

[ouflak 60]

2 hours ago, hook me said:

The Beebe/Bowlsby 1-2 punch was something the Big 12 is lucky to have survived.

Some would argue that the Big XII didn't.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21781]

Theseus foresaw the realignment of football with his paradox

[billfromlaketravis 11362]

6 hours ago, Tex Pete said:

But from my perspective, it truly seemed that Bowlsby carried the flag for those who felt "Texas makes all the decisions" and intentionally stuck his finger in our eye repeatedly. We could have all been working together, but Bowlsby was happy cashing paychecks and let the conference itself flounder. OU's interests were always represented, and that worked for Texas where our interests intersected. But the abysmal officiating and failure to correct it has been just one example of Texas not being in control of anything. (and I know Iowa State was also consistently on the short end of officiating faux pas).

I want to say we’ll look back in 10 years and laugh, but the officiating in the 2015 Okie State game has caused generational trauma. 
 

UT Administration needed to wake up. Unfortunately for us, the Big 12’’s shittiness was akin to being dragged out of bed naked, hooded, flown to a CIA Black Site, and water boarded for 11 years. 
 

I guess we ended up the best football/weather conference. 

[LTbear 4161]

3 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

 

I guess we ended up the best football/weather conference. 

Edited March 24, 2023 by LTbear