The Big 12 is a joke

[streettopeschel]

Yes Street Mack is gone, but the results of his Coaching and recruiting will linger on for a good while yet. If you want to pretend otherwise then fine. He mailed it in the last few years while cashing those weekly $100,000 checks..

i didn't pretend anything. i just don't spend as much time looking back as some people do. 

 

[Chris Flanagan]

Yeah the Big 12 is bad right now but it's also perception as well. I believe that when Texas or OU are down, the conference is down. College Football loves it's traditional powerhouses. If the traditional power is doing well and other teams are doing well in the conference, it's considered a tough conference. If the traditional powers are down, it's weak. So yes, Texas has to be good to have the conference be considered tough. 

 

[Juan]

When I see things like this below, it makes me long for the days of the SWC.

I accept that I am in the minority on this idea.

And I acknowledge the realitie$ involved.

Still, speaking from the fan perspective, the SWC (when it had Pig Suey) was WAY MORE FUN than the Big 12.  The comparison b/w these two conferences on the fun-o-meter alone is not even close.

Some or many of you are too young to have a fact-based opinion on this.

So you have no choice but to take my word for it.

And this includes the SWC basketball tourney with Piggy (Eddie Sutton), UH (Guy Lewis) and even SMU (Jon Koncak!).

I think part of it was the fact that the other campuses and their graduates were all much closer geographically.

Sportstalk radio was much more lively as fans got after each other's teams.  Those other teams did not just matter they mattered alot.  Contrast that to today -- ever get much (or any) KU, KSU or ISU smacktalk on the local radio? This relates to the poster below -- I mean I HATED Arkansas.  But I LOVED hating them too.  Do you know what I mean?

Same for water-cooler conversation at work (odds are that your co-worker attended one of the other SWC schools).  Thus, not only did the SWC make work more fun, it even made sitting in the daamn car in traffic more fun.

Plus, it was also easier to roadtrip to see our teams play (Houston has both Rice & UH so Horns were there every season; plus Dallas has SMU - [believe me, if you are a young single guy - this is not the worst campus in the world to visit]).

And some day I will tell you the story of me and the Arkansas cheerleader I met on the dancefloor at some odd San Antonio club outside the Hemisphere Arena for the SWC Basketball Tourney.  Does the Big 12 create an environment that allows for the creation of new memories like this?  I suggest not.

And everyone HATED aggy.  EVERYONE!  They mostly all still do, but it just aint the same.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Still, speaking from the fan perspective, the SWC (when it had Pig Suey) was WAY MORE FUN than the Big 12.  The comparison b/w these two conferences on the fun-o-meter alone is not even close.

Some or many of you are too young to have a fact-based opinion on this.

So you have no choice but to take my word for it.

And this includes the SWC basketball tourney with Piggy (Eddie Sutton), UH (Guy Lewis) and even SMU (Jon Koncak!).

I'm with Juan Grande.

The SWC was a rivalry almost every week!  Everybody knew alumni from every school in the conference.  Why did it break up?  Greed.  Arkansas bailed for the SEC and smaller schools; Rice, UH, SMU, & TCU "weren't pulling their weight".

Our only hope for getting back to a more geographical alignment will be for the P5 to break away from the NCAA.  Schools like SMU and Rice will probably be left out, but an updated midwest super-conference with AR, LSU, and aggie will be desirable.  That's my dream, anyway.  

Not that I'm dissatisfied with the Big12.

 

[streettopeschel]

i don't remember anybody lamenting the end of the SWC and feeling bad about the creation of the Big 12 at the time. The SWC was a national afterthought for its last decade.

 

[Juan]

I did, but its not like anyone was seeking out my opinion

I remember the first thing I thought was "they just killed off the fun of road games, and the BBall Tourney"

But, yeah, letting Arkansas run off set in on a path of self-destruction

Today, the fan experience means little and will always take a back seat to revenues.

They might say they care about it, but their efforts in these terms translate into things like the jumbo, jumbo screen with obnoxious commercials that are obnoxiously loud.  Thus, what might be tangentially fan-related is actually revenue related at its core.

And so on

 

[Pancho Negro]

The SWC was too regional and would have never gotten big money contracts like the SEC, Big 10, or ACC. It was a good thing for the SWC to dissolve. I would never want to be in the SWC again.

Fans don't seem to have an issue in the SEC or Big 10 and those campuses aren't "close."

The original Big 12 wasn't a bad conference to be part of. Letting those 4 schools get away then trying to replace with TCU and WVU was the dumbest thing ever. TCU and WVU add nothing.

And yes, there's "smack talk" all the time, especially with the state of Texas having so many huge alumni bases that aren't UT/A&M/Tech.

 

[Juan]

Could be called the WMFL

The WAY MORE FUN LEAGUE

 

[Juan]

The SWC was too regional and would have never gotten big money contracts like the SEC, Big 10, or ACC.......

I have no choice but to concede the revenue issue, as mentioned above.

The point, however, which you hopefully would have seen had you taken the time to read what is written, is that from a fan perspective, the SWC was much more fun (and thus "better") than the Big 12.

But I would add that, with the way Texas is growing, this current TV revenue situation may not always be true.

 

[streettopeschel]

i'm definitely not too young to remember the good ole days. the swc i grew up with in the 60s and 70s was great. the scandals of the 80s were devestating, recruits started leaving the state in droves and by the 90s it was a dead league. 

time marches on. 

 

[Pancho Negro]

I have no choice but to concede the revenue issue, as mentioned above.

The point, however, which you hopefully would have seen had you taken the time to read what is written, is that from a fan perspective, the SWC was much more fun (and thus "better") than the Big 12.

But I would add that, with the way Texas is growing, this current TV revenue situation may not always be true.

I read it. And the "from a fan's perspective" is totally subjective. You liked it. I did not. It seems like your argument is that because you, personally, enjoyed it more is why we should go back. I, personally, want us in the Big 10. But it's not going to happen.

There's not need to get upset and defensive about it.

There's no need to get offended by it.

 

[Juan]

I read it. And the "from a fan's perspective" is totally subjective. You liked it. I did not. It seems like your argument is that because you, personally, enjoyed it more is why we should go back. ....

Eggzackly

And the Big 10 sucks too.

ps- I admit I am curious to see if you were alive and an adult at the time that Arkansas was in the SWC?

Were you a student at UT then, or a grad?

If so, I have a very hard time believing you think the current Big 12 is more fun from a fan perspective than the SWC was during that time.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

I read it. And the "from a fan's perspective" is totally subjective. You liked it. I did not. It seems like your argument is that because you, personally, enjoyed it more is why we should go back. I, personally, want us in the Big 10. But it's not going to happen.

There's not need to get upset and defensive about it.

There's no need to get offended by it.

Ugh...the B1G?

Talk about a "dying league".  You know that you're desperate when you add Rutgers & Maryland.  No way in hell we join the Rust Belt.  Ain't gonna happen.

 

[BudreauReye]

I remember driving through Arkansas on one of the nights that Texas beat Arkansas, and having a hard time finding somebody who would sell me gas, so I could get out of that state.  Street has got it right above.  The SWC was a lot of fun for a long time and then it was not so much fun anymore, and now it is dead and gone.  As has been said, the SWC was too State of Texas centric to make it today in television moneyland.  By and large, Baylor and A&M were not any good, Houston was only good for a short while, and SMU and TCU were only any good there at the end because they cheated. 

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

...and SMU and TCU were only any good there at the end because they cheated. 

You can say the same thing about aggie under both Sherrill's and RC's watch.  

 

[BudreauReye]

You can say the same thing about aggie under both Sherrill's and RC's watch.  

Yup!  I left out that little goody!

 

[Bevostuntdouble]

These "the Big 12 is a lousy conference" threads are tiresome...and very aggy.

It would be different if UT had reeled off 3-4 consecutive Big 12 titles.  Then maybe we can criticize the "inferior quality" of our opponents.  But, that hasn't happened yet.  Only team with a legit beef, unfortunately, is OU.

Aggy's line about "a rising tide lifts all boats" is BS.  When was the last time Arky, Miss State, Vandy, or UK won a SEC title?  Or even a divisional title (like this matters)?  

EXACTLY... Agree completely. 

 

[echeese]

Florida State won the NC from a conference that had exactly one other ranked team. i doubt they're lamenting not playing a 'national' caliber competition.

3 big 12 teams were ranked 17 or better in the final AP poll. the pac 12 and Big 10 had 2 each. the notion the big 12 is some sort of inferior product isn't justified based on the numbers. 

Bowden made his rep playing a really weak conference. . . 

The BigXII colossally frigged up when they choose TCU over Louisville and didn't aggressively pursue FSU/Clemson/GT. . . 

While I love the teams from the Pac 10/12/16 whatever ..  .we really should jettison everyone but OU and OSU (they are joined at the hip) and use the pod systems with the ACC .. .  .

Great venues, great fan bases, great TV markets . . .

WVU replaces Maryland in a North Pod of:

WVU

BC

Sryacuse

Pitt

West Pod:

TEXAS

OU

OSU

Louisville

North Central

Va

Va Tech

Duke

Clemson

Wake

South Central

UNC

UNCst

GT

Miami

FSU

18 teams. . .you could easily find 2 more to round out the pods. . . 

Play your pod. . .3-4 games with 4-5 cross pod games scheduled as home and homes. . .top records represent North and South division in a playoff game rotating between Atlanta and Jerry World, maybe toss in Superdome and/or an east coast venue. . .

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Bowden made his rep playing a really weak conference. . . 

Bowden and FSU built their rep long before joining the ACC.  They played "anyone, anytime, anywhere"...it was their mantra while independent.  Go back through the archives and look at their schedules and results throughout Bowden's tenure.  It's impressive!

 The BigXII colossally frigged up when they choose TCU over Louisville and didn't aggressively pursue FSU/Clemson/GT. . . 

I couldn't agree more.  I don't know what metrics the Big12 was looking at when they chose TCU over Louisville.  From the outside looking in, it appears to be "replace one TX school with the best available TX school"  I guess OU's Castiglione signed off on it because he likes playing games and recruiting in DFW.  Good for their alumni, too.

we really should jettison everyone but OU and OSU (they are joined at the hip) and use the pod systems with the ACC .. .  .

I respectfully disagree because I like playing Tech, Baylor, K-State, KU in hoops...but I digress.  How do we know OU & OSU are joined at the hip?  We thought aggie was joined at ours.  What changed?  Governor Perry signed off on aggie's move?

 

[echeese]

Bowden and FSU built their rep long before joining the ACC.  They played "anyone, anytime, anywhere"...it was their mantra while independent.  Go back through the archives and look at their schedules and results throughout Bowden's tenure.  It's impressive!

I couldn't agree more.  I don't know what metrics the Big12 was looking at when they chose TCU over Louisville.  From the outside looking in, it appears to be "replace one TX school with the best available TX school"  I guess OU's Castiglione signed off on it because he likes playing games and recruiting in DFW.  Good for their alumni, too.

I respectfully disagree because I like playing Tech, Baylor, K-State, KU in hoops...but I digress.  How do we know OU & OSU are joined at the hip?  We thought aggie was joined at ours.  What changed?  Governor Perry signed off on aggie's move?

As to bobby .. .a review of his scheduled opponents shows plenty of Tulanes (a regular) Furman Georgia Southern. . .were there some good teams?  Sure. . .there were plenty of mutts as well . . .

As to KU in basketball . .. so schedule them.  ..nothing says we cannot still play those teams. . .especially in basketball. . . .but football is the driver. . .you would really rather travel to Manhatten than Clemson. . . .Ames vs Atlanta or Boston

As to OSU. . . .that came out with out last round of negotiations. . . .OSU does not want to be disconnected from OU. . .aggie did want to leave us. . . .apples...oranges. . .