Just a change-of-pace question. … Turn back the clock and imagine a world where Nebraska and Colorado didn’t leave the Big 12 … neither did Texas A&M or Missouri … nor did Texas or Oklahoma. Where would this “old school” conference rank in terms of media $$? I’m thinking solid third. Behind the SEC and the Big Ten, yet comfortably ahead of the ACC and the Pac-12.
Follow-up … since Texas is most often blamed by everyone for schools leaving, do you think they look back and think if they only played nice in the Big 12 sandbox years ago, they would have close to top network money AND and a much better chance to win/get into the playoff. Let’s face it, even this old improved Big 12 isn’t as daunting as the SEC.
— Scott
I do love that Scott is calling a conference that formed in 1996 “old school,” but it is truly amazing to think how much the Big 12 has changed in that period. It’s also interesting to imagine how things might have been different if Texas and Nebraska had gotten along better in those early years. Because if they had, I suspect it might have altered the trajectory of the league.
From a brand standpoint, the original Big 12 lineup would produce a robust media rights deal today. Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M would be the tentpoles, but Nebraska also still draws plenty of national interest. Assuming
Oklahoma State would have still been as consistently good — which seems likely — the
Cowboys also would be considered a quality foil for those schools. I agree with Scott that such a lineup probably wouldn’t threaten the Big Ten and SEC in terms of dollars, but it might be closer to them than it would be to the Pac-12 and ACC.
What’s intriguing is how this might have changed the trajectory of the SEC. The league was already winning national titles, but the addition of Texas A&M — which added the nation’s second-largest state to the footprint — was what truly made the SEC an economic juggernaut. It turned the creation of the SEC Network from an iffy proposition into the most successful channel launch in cable television history. The Aggies’ passion and willingness to spend to upgrade also pushed existing SEC schools to devote even more resources to football. It made the most competitive league even more competitive.
And if we’re being honest, it’s probably the reason Oklahoma and Texas are heading there now. And Scott is probably correct that when the Longhorns enter and find a far more stacked conference than they’re accustomed to, they might wish the people in charge in Austin had just been a little nicer to everyone a couple of decades ago. Because the climb got significantly steeper as a result.
Click to expand...