Monday, June 07, 2010
Football... football... football... football...
[click on the photo to enlarge it-- it's new favorite graffiti I saw in New York/New Jersey]
The buzz in Waco is all about football. Not that football obsession is anything new, but this time there really are some crazy things going on. In short, the big football conferences seem to be realigning, and this is big news.
Since 1996, Baylor has played in the Big 12 conference with Texas, Texas A & M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Nebraska, and Missouri. It looks very possible right now that the Big 12 is going to break up, a change precipitated by the Big 10's attempt to pick up Nebraska and Missouri, and the interest of other conferences in grabbing away big-money stalwart University of Texas.
The hot rumor is that the Pac-10 will try to expand by taking away Texas, A & M, Tech, Colorado, and the two Oklahoma schools. Some in the Texas legislature, however, are pushing for Baylor to be included instead of Oklahoma. If the Big 12 takes the other six, though, Baylor will be left in a no-man's land, probably shunted out of the realm of big-conference sports. Egads! There is little doubt that the best outcome for Baylor would be to have the Big 12 remain intact or move to the Pac-10 with the other Texas schools, and there is some movement towards that.
However, if the Pac-10 does expand without Baylor and the Big 12 falls apart, that will likely precipitate a larger round or realignments, with Baylor an unlikely target because of its poor (but improving!) showing in football and small media market. Being left out in the cold would be a sad outcome, and there would be great gnashing of teeth in Waco.
Amidst this mayhem, I'd like to reassert my idea for an academic/athletics conference comprised of top-level schools in the middle of the country that have the potential to excel in both, but begin with solid academics. It could be kind of an Ivy League of mid-America. Don't scoff-- the Ivy League is a sports league, after all, and membership has added greatly to the academic luster of the member schools. This league, though, could still play top-division football, and could be dominant in some other sports. How about this for one permutation (involving smaller mostly-private schools that either are not in big-time conferences, or might be cast-offs in realignment and which feature strong academics):
Western Division:
Baylor
Rice
SMU
Tulane
BYU or TCU
Air Force
Eastern Division:
Vanderbilt
Wake Forest
Duke
Navy
Army
William and Mary/UVA
Or, you could have a Texas-centered league featuring Baylor, Rice, Tulane, SMU, TCU, and Houston...
At any rate, let's hope we end up where we belong-- in the Big 12 or Pac-16-- and that we don't end up with membership in the Great West League.
Comments:
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I think one of the biggest benefits of football is that it makes people pay attention to schools that no one would otherwise care about, like the University of Iowa.
/no offense to UI, but i mean come on.. it's Iowa.
/no offense to UI, but i mean come on.. it's Iowa.
Stealing teams from the ACC, are we? Hmm...we'll see what Swofford will say about you taking his basketball teams. Don't think that would happen, but the SEC may come and poach some ACC football schools if the PAC-10 starts this war.
This dovetail's nicely with Thursday's topic.
Since football is probably the only sport that reliably makes money for schools (and we know how much schools love money!), where goes football, so goes the money.
Baylor, despite having excellent sports teams in most sports other than football, such as basketball, baseball, tennis, and golf, sucks and sucks hard at football. I still have not forgiven them for their failure to defeat Texas Tech two years ago.
I honestly doubt that the Pac-10 would be looking to pick up A&M and Tech were it not for their rivalry with UT. Although Tech is an on-again, off-again performer, they have had some staffing changes recently that leave me hopeful they will fade into obscurity. The same is largely true of A&M.
Oklahoma remains a strong contender, but OSU is in the same status as the dweebish little brother of a better in-state program.
I oppose this merger; it smacks of a desire to get grubby hands on the majesty and power of UT for some other conference. The Big 12, despite its shortcomings of being disparaged by coastal conferences that are incapable of realizing that neither California nor the Southeast have the ability to field football programs the equal of Texas' various schools, always felt like UT was competing against the best of the best.
Mopping up the floor with Stanford and USC won't have the same feeling as grinding Rice beneath our heels.
Since football is probably the only sport that reliably makes money for schools (and we know how much schools love money!), where goes football, so goes the money.
Baylor, despite having excellent sports teams in most sports other than football, such as basketball, baseball, tennis, and golf, sucks and sucks hard at football. I still have not forgiven them for their failure to defeat Texas Tech two years ago.
I honestly doubt that the Pac-10 would be looking to pick up A&M and Tech were it not for their rivalry with UT. Although Tech is an on-again, off-again performer, they have had some staffing changes recently that leave me hopeful they will fade into obscurity. The same is largely true of A&M.
Oklahoma remains a strong contender, but OSU is in the same status as the dweebish little brother of a better in-state program.
I oppose this merger; it smacks of a desire to get grubby hands on the majesty and power of UT for some other conference. The Big 12, despite its shortcomings of being disparaged by coastal conferences that are incapable of realizing that neither California nor the Southeast have the ability to field football programs the equal of Texas' various schools, always felt like UT was competing against the best of the best.
Mopping up the floor with Stanford and USC won't have the same feeling as grinding Rice beneath our heels.
William & Mary dominates in Colonial Athletic Association of Division I-AA Football, regularly making the playoffs. It sends players to the NFL almost every year, including guys who end up in the Pro Bowl, and the Super Bowl winning coach of the Steelers is a W&M grad.
As an outsider, I-AA would seem to make sense for Baylor. It includes Alabama A&M, Northern Iowa, Villanova, Butler, Dayton, the Ivy League Schools, Delaware, Maine, Rhode Island, Montana and many others. (LOTS of schools with top drawer NCAA basketball programs play Div. IAA football)
Other Virginia teams include Richmond, VMI and James Madison. UVa would be better off playing IAA itself, as the school's small size and tough academic standards make the notion of it ever being competitive again in Division I somewhat laughable.
Did you see the part above where I said "playoffs"? Yes, Division I-AA actually has playoffs, nationally televised playoffs. Every year an actual National Championship game is played and there is a clear National Champion. Unlike the situation in Division I and the nutty BCS system.
As an outsider, I-AA would seem to make sense for Baylor. It includes Alabama A&M, Northern Iowa, Villanova, Butler, Dayton, the Ivy League Schools, Delaware, Maine, Rhode Island, Montana and many others. (LOTS of schools with top drawer NCAA basketball programs play Div. IAA football)
Other Virginia teams include Richmond, VMI and James Madison. UVa would be better off playing IAA itself, as the school's small size and tough academic standards make the notion of it ever being competitive again in Division I somewhat laughable.
Did you see the part above where I said "playoffs"? Yes, Division I-AA actually has playoffs, nationally televised playoffs. Every year an actual National Championship game is played and there is a clear National Champion. Unlike the situation in Division I and the nutty BCS system.
What is really bizarre is that schools like Rice (or Duke, even) cling to I-A football. It just doesn't fit the institution.
Baylor is a difference situation than them, though.
Baylor is a difference situation than them, though.
# posted by 
: 12:16 PM
: 12:16 PM
duke, uva and wake forest would never leave the acc for such a conference.
but, allow me to be the first to suggest a "god squad" conference in which baylor might be included.
athletic competitions in such a conference would come down to who has the best prayers.
now, if only RRL would chime in with a thought or two...
but, allow me to be the first to suggest a "god squad" conference in which baylor might be included.
athletic competitions in such a conference would come down to who has the best prayers.
now, if only RRL would chime in with a thought or two...
# posted by : 3:51 PM
: 3:51 PM
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE.
SIXTEEN COMMENTS, AND NOBODY'S SUGGESTED A GOD SQUAD CONFERENCE.
I FEEL INSULTED.
LIMBAUGH FOR PRESIDENT!!!1!
--ALL CAPS GUY
SIXTEEN COMMENTS, AND NOBODY'S SUGGESTED A GOD SQUAD CONFERENCE.
I FEEL INSULTED.
LIMBAUGH FOR PRESIDENT!!!1!
--ALL CAPS GUY
# posted by : 4:41 PM
: 4:41 PM
Ok, here's my idea: After the Big 12 implodes, what if the University of Baylor started up a "God Squad" conference? It could be for religiously-affiliated schools who like football. These teams could be in it:
Baylor
BYU
TCU
Liberty Univ.
Detroit Lions
Boston College
Notre Dame (PA)
Texas Tech
Flurman
SMU
Tulsa
NW Louisiana
Stanford
Baylor
BYU
TCU
Liberty Univ.
Detroit Lions
Boston College
Notre Dame (PA)
Texas Tech
Flurman
SMU
Tulsa
NW Louisiana
Stanford
# posted by : 5:17 PM
: 5:17 PM
I have a really good friend who played football at W&M and then played for the Tampa Bay Bucs. Ok - maybe that isn't saying much given how bad the Bucs were back in the early/mid 80's.
If this merger/realignment means fewer bowl games I am all for it.
If this merger/realignment means fewer bowl games I am all for it.
My parents went to "Flurman." Not much of a football powerhouse. Now, if you can pull in Mercer...
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# posted by : 9:51 PM
: 9:51 PM << Home
