Osler's Razor

When I lived in Waco (and enjoyed faculty tickets to the football games), Baylor lacked a true rival. Sometimes people acted like Texas was a rival, but that was kind of a Yale/Princeton thing-- only one side thought it was a rivalry.  Texas knew their real rival was A & M. A few times, the Bears played Oklahoma State in the last game, but their real rival was Oklahoma (duh).  We were just kind of adrift at the bottom of the league.

How things have changed! Along with Baylor's ascendancy in football has come a real rivalry, with TCU (which has also produced a great program, currently ranked in the top 5, as is Baylor).

That rivalry just keeps getting more intense and weirder, too-- just the way people like it.  Last year, both schools were shut out of the championship playoff group of four (Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama, and Florida State), and both pretty much blamed the other. They ended with one loss each-- Baylor to West Virginia, and TCU to Baylor.

Ratcheting things up a notch this week, TCU coach Gary Patterson (or "Gary Fatterson" to some Baylor wags) poked the bear. Two of his student-athletes were arrested for a beer robbery, and in response Patterson said that the incident was "not even close to what happened south of here." It was clearly a reference to the case of Sam Ukuachku, a Baylor player recently convicted of the rape of Baylor freshman.

Think that will stir the pot?

I like the rivalry… but I really do not like the fact that both schools are plagued with convicted or accused student-athlete-violent felons.  As I have argued before, Baylor must take firm steps to investigate problems thoroughly. They also must change the culture that too often allows this kind of violence, whether or not it involves an athlete.