Question: What destroyed the Big 12?

[GrayTide]

If you go way back to the beginning of the modern era of college football, I believe it is pretty much accepted that would be 1950 forward it is easy to understand why the Big 12 did not work.

Oklahoma ruled the Big 8 exclusively until Nebraska found its program in the mid 60's. From roughly 1965-1995 OU and NU traded punches as to who was the dominant program. It was always a classic confrontation and quite frankly it way overshadowed the Red River Rivalry. The other 6 teams, Kansas, KSU, Iowa State, Colorado, Missouri, and OSU offered token resistence.

Texas dominated the old SWC from 1950 until its demise with Arkansas its only real challenger and that wasn't often. Let's see why Texas dominated the SWC: TAMU, Rice, Baylor, SMU, TCU, Houston, TTU. You have to remember that during that time period none of those programs were competitive, including TCU. TAMU had a couple of good years but for the most part it was always Texas on top.

In 1996 the two conferences merge, Texas and OU are put in the same division which waters down the Big 12 North. Alternating play and not being in the same division, the NU vs OU rivalry fades and is replaced with the Red River Rivalry (Shootout). Enter Mack Brown and Bob Stoops and post Tom Osborne Nebraska sinks further into the bowels of college football.

Yes, money is a factor, but it is also about loss of pride, recognition, and control which Texas had in the SWC and usurped from both OU and NU when the Big 8 merged with the SWC. I think it would be a big mistake for the SEC to offer an invitation to Texas. End of history lesson.

 

[BamaBeta]

Leadership, or more precisely a lack of strong leadership.

You need a big, bad, strong commissioner that can put Texas, Nebraska, and any other school in its place. Texas got the prima dona attitude because they were allowed to act that way. Nebraska got fed up because they were in 1995/1996 on TV where Texas is now, and they saw how bad it is being on the other side which is where Texas and Oklahoma were in 1995/1996. Had they shared revenue equally, maybe things would have been different.

I still think the Big 12 as a conference can be salvaged, but it will be a shell of its former self.

 

[bamamoss2]

Dallas is the 5th largest TV market in the nation.
Houston is the 10th largest TV market in the nation.
Denver is the 16th largest in the nation.
St. Louis is the 21st largest in the nation.
Kansas is the 32nd largest.
San Antonio is the 37th largest in the nation.
Oklahoma City is the 45th largest.
Austin is the 48th largest.

The Televisions were all around the Big 12. The Big 12 should of formed their own network like the Big 10, but didn't because of the horns wanting to form "The Longhorn Network". I think the reason the Big 12 fell apart is because of the unequal sharing of TV revenue. The horns have been making a killing and the sooners are fairly close behind. I believe the horns greed and sense of entitlement brought the Big 12 down. I could be wrong, but being an Aggie, I'd love nothing more than to separate from the horns.

^^^^ THIS!! One can be sure that Nebraska, Missouri and any non Texas school feels even more adamant about this fact.

 

[CrimsonEyeshade]

I can't imagine that the insufferable arrogance of Texas hasn't been a factor. The same arrogance that allows it, with a straight face, to say the SEC is not up to its academic standards when it was Texas that helped shove partial qualifiers down the new Big 12's throat.

Those are the same partial qualifiers the SEC does not accept.

Gee, Texas is right. There is an academic gap.

 

[cuda.1973]

For the same reasons others have already posted , Texas is a very fitting one-word answer.

Where there other factors that entered in: yes. Would it have mattered: no.

TexAss would have eventually found a way to throw their weight around, and get what they wanted. I wish them the best of luck in trying to screw U$C. I can not think of a better marriage, arranged in the bowels of hell.

Unless, of course, you add ND to the mix. Now, that would be entertainment!

 

[wishbonesooner]

Having to watch the 2005 MNC game between those two was like watching Al Queda playing the Taliban.

 

[cuda.1973]

O/T, but that is how I felt having to watch U$C and ND every year. (The yankee side of the family is really into Papist U. I hate 'em..............)