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Decent read by Barry Tramel
http://newsok.com/ten-causes-of-the-big-12s-fall/article/5436191
1. TALENT DIP
Everything starts with ballplayers. The Big 12 doesn’t have the quality of players it once had. In each of the last two NFL Drafts, the Big 12 has produced just three first- or second-round selections. In 2014, the Big 12 had just 17 players selected overall. As recently as 2010 and 2011, the Big 12 had 30 players selected each year, with eight first-rounders in 2011 and nine first-rounders in 2010. In 2005, the calendar year in which OU played for a national championship and in which Texas qualified for the title game that it would win, the Big 12 had 34 draftees. That’s twice as many as were drafted in 2014. Even accounting for two fewer teams, that’s a huge dip. Here are the NFL draftees from the Big 12, with the total listed, followed by first- and second-round picks:
2015: 25 (2, 1) 2014: 17 (2, 1) 2013: 22 (3, 2)
2012: 26 (5, 2) 2011: 30 (8, 2) 2010: 30 (9, 2)
2009: 28 (7, 3) 2008: 29 (1, 7) 2007: 28 (4, 3)
2006: 29 (3, 4) 2005: 34 (5, 7) 2004: 23 (4, 2)
2003: 35 (6, 4) 2002: 25 (4, 4) 2001: 31 (3, 6)
2000: 24 (1, 5) 1999: 32 (1, 3) 1998: 28 (3, 2) 1997: 35 (5, 6)
2. SEC UPRISING
Truth is, the status of every major conference took a beating during the SEC’s reign of terror. The SEC won seven straight national titles — Florida in 2006, LSU in 2007, Florida in 2008, Alabama in 2009, Auburn in 2010, Alabama in 2011 and Alabama in 2012. The SEC hype machine launched into high gear and really hasn’t slowed since. Recruits now flock to SEC schools, and SEC teams are elevated in the minds of decision-makers (pollsters, committee voters). The Big Ten and ACC took severe hits to their images in recent years but rallied with the two most recent national titles (Ohio State 2014, Florida State 2013).
3. REALIGNMENT
The Big 12 has been a conference of defections. Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M all bolted, for a variety of reasons, and while newcomers TCU and West Virginia have been solid additions, the result has been bad for the Big 12’s morale and status. The Big 12 is seen as unstable and weak. Expansion talk is never-ceasing, but few good options appear. The 10-school format makes for a great regular season, but it comes at a two-fold cost. The nine-game conference schedule makes it difficult for a team to go through the conference unscathed, and no conference championship game puts the Big 12 at a decided disadvantage with its four chief competitors, all of whom play that 13th game.
4. OU/TEXAS SLUMPS
The Sooners or Longhorns played in six of the 10 national title games in the first decade of the 2000s. But since Texas lost to Alabama to conclude the 2009 season, OU and Texas have combined for just one outright Big 12 title. The ‘Horns are 36-28 in the five seasons since, with two losing seasons. The Sooners haven’t fallen that far, going 59-20 the last six seasons. But OU has finished in the AP top 10 only once in the last four seasons. Texas has finished in the top 25 only once since 2009 (19th in 2012). Just as the Big Ten struggles if Ohio State and Michigan aren’t their traditional selves, and the SEC struggles if Alabama and Florida both are below par, the Big 12’s reputation takes a hit when ancient rivals OU and Texas slump.
5. QUARTERBACK ISSUES
In 2004, OU’s Jason White was the reigning Heisman winner and Texas’ Vince Young had blossomed into the star who put the Longhorns on his back in 2005. In 2008, the Big 12 quarterbacks included OU’s Sam Bradford, Texas’ Colt McCoy, Missouri’s Chase Daniel, Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell, Kansas State’s Josh Freeman and OSU’s Zac Robinson. In 2011, the QBs included Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, OSU’s Brandon Weeden, OU’s Landry Jones, Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill and Kansas State’s Collin Klein. But the quarterback well had dried up. In 2013, OSU’s Clint Chelf was the second-team all-Big 12 quarterback even though he didn’t take over the job until late October. In 2015, OSU’s Mason Rudolph is projected as the league’s second-best quarterback, even though he’s made three career starts. The Big 12 needs the elite quarterbacking it enjoyed a few years ago.
6. PARITY
Parity is a good thing for most leagues. It’s great for the NFL. But it can harm a college football conference. In the last six years, six schools have won or shared Big 12 titles — Texas in 2009, OU in 2010, OSU in 2011, Kansas State and OU in 2012, Baylor in 2013, Baylor and TCU in 2014. But with parity comes defeats. OSU’s Big Bowl hopes were crippled with a November 2011 loss at Iowa State. The same happened to Kansas State with a November 2012 loss at Baylor. Then to Baylor with a November 2013 loss at Stillwater. The Big 12 actually had five teams tied at 6-2 in 2010; three in the South Division, two in the North. If the league champion automatically advanced to the College Football Playoff, parity would be hailed. But when there are five leagues and only four spots, parity can be a conference killer.
7. SCHEDULING
Since realignment damaged the Big 12 brand, it has not attempted the quickest road to redemption: schedule, and win, games against fellow major conference opponents. From 2010 through 2012, the Big 12 actually fared well against its fellow power-brokers, going 8-4, 6-3 and 5-1 in regular season nonconference games against the other power leagues. But the Big 12 hasn’t scheduled enough of those games to keep the momentum going. The Big 12 was 2-4 in those showdown games in 2013, then 4-6 in 2014. The only way shy of a national title for the Big 12 to regain its prestige is to play, and win, marquee nonconference games. Hard to showcase the Big 12 brand when some of the league’s best teams are avoiding the spotlight. The Big 12’s nonconference, regular-season record against fellow power conference teams:
1996: 4-5 1997: 3-9 1998: 4-6
1999: 5-7 2000: 4-6 2001: 5-2
2002: 8-7 2003: 6-8 2004: 4-2
2005: 3-2 2006: 3-7 2007: 5-6
2008: 7-8 2009: 4-6 2010: 8-4
2011: 6-3 2012: 5-1 2013: 2-4 2014: 4-6
8. TITLE GAME LOSSES
Since Texas won the 2005 national title, Big 12 teams have reached two championship games: OU in 2008, Texas in 2009. The Sooners lost to Florida 24-14 in Miami; Texas lost to Alabama 37-21. OU, playing without rock-solid tailback DeMarco Murray, lost in part because it twice failed to score on the goal line. Texas, playing all but the first few minutes without star quarterback Colt McCoy, hung tough with the Crimson Tide despite backup QB Garrett Gilbert throwing four interceptions. If either the Sooners or ‘Horns would have won, or pray tell both, the Big 12’s national reputation would be far different.
9. PLAYOFF TIMING
The Big 12 has come down on the wrong side of tight fits twice in recent years. OSU placed third in the final BCS rankings of 2011, nosed out by Alabama in the closest calculations in BCS history. Bama and LSU went on to play in a quite-forgettable title game. In 2014, both Baylor and TCU were jumped by Ohio State in the final committee vote for the four spots in the inaugural College Football Playoff. Baylor at No. 5 and TCU at No. 6 settled for consolation status. If the 2011 Cowboys had scraped past Alabama and possibly even beaten what turned out to be a punchless LSU team, or if Baylor and/or TCU had made noise in the four-team playoff last season, the Big 12’s status would be much improved. As is, the nation not only questions the quality of the Big 12, but the Big 12 questions its own policies.
10. BOWL FUTILITY
Some say bowls don’t mean anything. But in a sport with a dearth of quality nonconference matchups, bowls are a valuable tool to measure conference superiority. And the Big 12’s had one winning bowl record since 2008. In 2011, the Big 12 went 6-2 in the postseason. In 2014, the Big 12 went 2-5 in bowls. Baylor lost to Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl, OU was blown out by Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl, Kansas State lost to UCLA in the Alamo Bowl, West Virginia lost to Texas A&M in the Liberty Bowl and Texas was routed by Arkansas in the Houston Bowl. That’s no way to build a brand. The Big 12 bowl records through the years:
1996: 2-3 1997: 2-3 1998: 3-4
1999: 3-3 2000: 4-3 2001: 3-5
2002: 5-3 2003: 2-6 2004: 4-3
2005: 5-3 2006: 3-5 2007: 5-3
2008: 4-3 2009: 4-4 2010: 3-5
2011: 6-2 2012: 4-5 2013: 3-3 2014: 2-5
http://newsok.com/ten-causes-of-the-big-12s-fall/article/5436191
1. TALENT DIP
Everything starts with ballplayers. The Big 12 doesn’t have the quality of players it once had. In each of the last two NFL Drafts, the Big 12 has produced just three first- or second-round selections. In 2014, the Big 12 had just 17 players selected overall. As recently as 2010 and 2011, the Big 12 had 30 players selected each year, with eight first-rounders in 2011 and nine first-rounders in 2010. In 2005, the calendar year in which OU played for a national championship and in which Texas qualified for the title game that it would win, the Big 12 had 34 draftees. That’s twice as many as were drafted in 2014. Even accounting for two fewer teams, that’s a huge dip. Here are the NFL draftees from the Big 12, with the total listed, followed by first- and second-round picks:
2015: 25 (2, 1) 2014: 17 (2, 1) 2013: 22 (3, 2)
2012: 26 (5, 2) 2011: 30 (8, 2) 2010: 30 (9, 2)
2009: 28 (7, 3) 2008: 29 (1, 7) 2007: 28 (4, 3)
2006: 29 (3, 4) 2005: 34 (5, 7) 2004: 23 (4, 2)
2003: 35 (6, 4) 2002: 25 (4, 4) 2001: 31 (3, 6)
2000: 24 (1, 5) 1999: 32 (1, 3) 1998: 28 (3, 2) 1997: 35 (5, 6)
2. SEC UPRISING
Truth is, the status of every major conference took a beating during the SEC’s reign of terror. The SEC won seven straight national titles — Florida in 2006, LSU in 2007, Florida in 2008, Alabama in 2009, Auburn in 2010, Alabama in 2011 and Alabama in 2012. The SEC hype machine launched into high gear and really hasn’t slowed since. Recruits now flock to SEC schools, and SEC teams are elevated in the minds of decision-makers (pollsters, committee voters). The Big Ten and ACC took severe hits to their images in recent years but rallied with the two most recent national titles (Ohio State 2014, Florida State 2013).
3. REALIGNMENT
The Big 12 has been a conference of defections. Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri and Texas A&M all bolted, for a variety of reasons, and while newcomers TCU and West Virginia have been solid additions, the result has been bad for the Big 12’s morale and status. The Big 12 is seen as unstable and weak. Expansion talk is never-ceasing, but few good options appear. The 10-school format makes for a great regular season, but it comes at a two-fold cost. The nine-game conference schedule makes it difficult for a team to go through the conference unscathed, and no conference championship game puts the Big 12 at a decided disadvantage with its four chief competitors, all of whom play that 13th game.
4. OU/TEXAS SLUMPS
The Sooners or Longhorns played in six of the 10 national title games in the first decade of the 2000s. But since Texas lost to Alabama to conclude the 2009 season, OU and Texas have combined for just one outright Big 12 title. The ‘Horns are 36-28 in the five seasons since, with two losing seasons. The Sooners haven’t fallen that far, going 59-20 the last six seasons. But OU has finished in the AP top 10 only once in the last four seasons. Texas has finished in the top 25 only once since 2009 (19th in 2012). Just as the Big Ten struggles if Ohio State and Michigan aren’t their traditional selves, and the SEC struggles if Alabama and Florida both are below par, the Big 12’s reputation takes a hit when ancient rivals OU and Texas slump.
5. QUARTERBACK ISSUES
In 2004, OU’s Jason White was the reigning Heisman winner and Texas’ Vince Young had blossomed into the star who put the Longhorns on his back in 2005. In 2008, the Big 12 quarterbacks included OU’s Sam Bradford, Texas’ Colt McCoy, Missouri’s Chase Daniel, Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell, Kansas State’s Josh Freeman and OSU’s Zac Robinson. In 2011, the QBs included Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, OSU’s Brandon Weeden, OU’s Landry Jones, Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill and Kansas State’s Collin Klein. But the quarterback well had dried up. In 2013, OSU’s Clint Chelf was the second-team all-Big 12 quarterback even though he didn’t take over the job until late October. In 2015, OSU’s Mason Rudolph is projected as the league’s second-best quarterback, even though he’s made three career starts. The Big 12 needs the elite quarterbacking it enjoyed a few years ago.
6. PARITY
Parity is a good thing for most leagues. It’s great for the NFL. But it can harm a college football conference. In the last six years, six schools have won or shared Big 12 titles — Texas in 2009, OU in 2010, OSU in 2011, Kansas State and OU in 2012, Baylor in 2013, Baylor and TCU in 2014. But with parity comes defeats. OSU’s Big Bowl hopes were crippled with a November 2011 loss at Iowa State. The same happened to Kansas State with a November 2012 loss at Baylor. Then to Baylor with a November 2013 loss at Stillwater. The Big 12 actually had five teams tied at 6-2 in 2010; three in the South Division, two in the North. If the league champion automatically advanced to the College Football Playoff, parity would be hailed. But when there are five leagues and only four spots, parity can be a conference killer.
7. SCHEDULING
Since realignment damaged the Big 12 brand, it has not attempted the quickest road to redemption: schedule, and win, games against fellow major conference opponents. From 2010 through 2012, the Big 12 actually fared well against its fellow power-brokers, going 8-4, 6-3 and 5-1 in regular season nonconference games against the other power leagues. But the Big 12 hasn’t scheduled enough of those games to keep the momentum going. The Big 12 was 2-4 in those showdown games in 2013, then 4-6 in 2014. The only way shy of a national title for the Big 12 to regain its prestige is to play, and win, marquee nonconference games. Hard to showcase the Big 12 brand when some of the league’s best teams are avoiding the spotlight. The Big 12’s nonconference, regular-season record against fellow power conference teams:
1996: 4-5 1997: 3-9 1998: 4-6
1999: 5-7 2000: 4-6 2001: 5-2
2002: 8-7 2003: 6-8 2004: 4-2
2005: 3-2 2006: 3-7 2007: 5-6
2008: 7-8 2009: 4-6 2010: 8-4
2011: 6-3 2012: 5-1 2013: 2-4 2014: 4-6
8. TITLE GAME LOSSES
Since Texas won the 2005 national title, Big 12 teams have reached two championship games: OU in 2008, Texas in 2009. The Sooners lost to Florida 24-14 in Miami; Texas lost to Alabama 37-21. OU, playing without rock-solid tailback DeMarco Murray, lost in part because it twice failed to score on the goal line. Texas, playing all but the first few minutes without star quarterback Colt McCoy, hung tough with the Crimson Tide despite backup QB Garrett Gilbert throwing four interceptions. If either the Sooners or ‘Horns would have won, or pray tell both, the Big 12’s national reputation would be far different.
9. PLAYOFF TIMING
The Big 12 has come down on the wrong side of tight fits twice in recent years. OSU placed third in the final BCS rankings of 2011, nosed out by Alabama in the closest calculations in BCS history. Bama and LSU went on to play in a quite-forgettable title game. In 2014, both Baylor and TCU were jumped by Ohio State in the final committee vote for the four spots in the inaugural College Football Playoff. Baylor at No. 5 and TCU at No. 6 settled for consolation status. If the 2011 Cowboys had scraped past Alabama and possibly even beaten what turned out to be a punchless LSU team, or if Baylor and/or TCU had made noise in the four-team playoff last season, the Big 12’s status would be much improved. As is, the nation not only questions the quality of the Big 12, but the Big 12 questions its own policies.
10. BOWL FUTILITY
Some say bowls don’t mean anything. But in a sport with a dearth of quality nonconference matchups, bowls are a valuable tool to measure conference superiority. And the Big 12’s had one winning bowl record since 2008. In 2011, the Big 12 went 6-2 in the postseason. In 2014, the Big 12 went 2-5 in bowls. Baylor lost to Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl, OU was blown out by Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl, Kansas State lost to UCLA in the Alamo Bowl, West Virginia lost to Texas A&M in the Liberty Bowl and Texas was routed by Arkansas in the Houston Bowl. That’s no way to build a brand. The Big 12 bowl records through the years:
1996: 2-3 1997: 2-3 1998: 3-4
1999: 3-3 2000: 4-3 2001: 3-5
2002: 5-3 2003: 2-6 2004: 4-3
2005: 5-3 2006: 3-5 2007: 5-3
2008: 4-3 2009: 4-4 2010: 3-5
2011: 6-2 2012: 4-5 2013: 3-3 2014: 2-5
