I decided last night to make this a two part series because I didn't want it to get too long. To recap I talked about the possible demise of the Big XII Conference. As I stated last night, I understand not wanting to rush into a bad decision. There is a right way and a wrong way to handle things. Specially of this big of an impact. And for all I know this ten team conference and format may only last one year. They may have a solution in mind come back in the fall of 2012 bigger and better. I most certainly hope for that. As most of you probably know, I am now in the heart of Big 10 country. I have not and will not forget my roots. I still am and always will be a Big XII guy, as long as they stay around. Being here I have noticed, as I expected, that K-State is not on TV all that much here. I have only been able to watch them a few times, and each time has ended in an embarrasing loss. I'm not giving up on them, but I'm not going to go down that road tonight. Getting to my point, there is one thing that the Big 10 has done that the Big XII could learn from. Also part of the reason for Nebraska betraying their roots and history and tradition and bolting for the Big 10 Conference. While I am writing this I have the Iowa vs Ohio State game on tv, on the Big 10 Network. The next game, the one i'm really interested in has Penn State at Purdue. These games would be similar to K-State playing Texas Tech, or Oklahoma. They are not scheduled to be on ESPN or their family of networks. As a fan of a school not favored by ESPN these games could be broadcast on TV so fans can still watch their teams play, and allow you to see most of your teams games, not just the "important" ones. Being only 30 minutes from Lafayette I've kinda been following Purdue this season since I haven't been able to follow KSU that much. This network allows me to see every Purdue game that's not on ESPN. I also enjoy watching other games. I would be happy to watch Oklahoma State vs Iowa State, or Baylor vs Texas Tech. Those games will not make ESPN's list, but a Big XII Network could broadcast these games and give fans of their respective teams the ability to watch. Another aspect of this network that a lot of people don't understand is that there is a lot of work done on and for this network by STUDENTS of the conference. It gives students a chance to be involved with a network and get valuable experience and an education in the process. Now don't confuse this with ESPN Plus. ESPN Plus has allowed people to watch their teams, but only in their local markets. So, a K-State fan in Texas still isn't going to be able to watch their team unless they play a Texas team. An Ohio State fan in Illinois, Indiana, or Iowa can still watch this game. This would be a win win for fans and schools of the Big XII Conference.
My next suggestion for the survival of the Big XII Conference is probably a bit on the radical side, but why not. Going from the Big 8 to the Big XII seemed radical and unlikely to succeed at that time, and look at it now. So, as I stated last night, eventually there will be a 16 team superconference. When this happens, if nothing is done this superconference will likely raid the Big XII for these teams as the Pac 10 tried to do. IF this new format costs Texas a chance to play in the BCS Championship because of the lack of a conference championship, and the Pac 12 comes calling again, they are gone. Along with Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. The Big 10 could latch onto Iowa State and Missouri. So, why not set a precidence?? Let's turn the Big XII into a super conerence. This can be done without even raiding a single team from the other power conferences. My suggestion for the 6 new teams would be Tulsa, SMU, Boise St., BYU, Memphis, and Air Force. Now these 6 teams probably don't seem like teams you would want, but hear me out on this. These six teams are arguable top teams in their respective conferences. First of all, you would be the first conference to expand to 16 teams, with the exception of the Big East, but that's only for basketball. That does not include football. By taking the six teams, it limits the options of the next conference that wants to expand. It won't be a very easy task to lure a big school away from their current conference. For example, to get Florida to leave the SEC for the Big East or ACC, or Florida State to leave the ACC for the Big East or SEC. Not saying it can't be done, but it won't be easy, and to get 3 other teams to do the same will not be easy. So, their next option would be to take a few teams like Boise St. or BYU that want to be a part of a bigger conference so they have the opportunity to play in that BCS game. By taking those 6 teams, it limits the pool for other conferences to choose from. These 6 teams are no slouch either. They are very good teams and would not weaken the conference by any means. Then their's the money. FedEx CEO Fred Smith has allegedly promised $10 million dollars a year for someone to pick up Memphis. That's a LOT of money!! Think of the extra bowl game money when you get 10 to 12 teams into bowls instead of 6 to 8, including probably 2 teams in a BCS game almost every year.
Let's face reality. In order for the Big XII to survive, they are going to have to expand. So, why stop at 12 teams?? It doesn't have to be those six I mentioned. There are honorable mentions such as Nevada, Creighton, Southern Miss, UTEP, Houston, Missouri State, New Mexico, and UNLV to name a few. Most of these teams will be used to fill out the roster for a super conference so why not be the first to draw blood and grab them now before someone else does, or worse, raids other teams from the Big XII. They've already lost out on probably the best replacement in TCU as they are headed to the Big East next season. As I said in the beginning, they may have a solution in place or in the works. I hope this is true because I promise that this is not over by any means. Sitting back idly will be very costly. We can sit back and watch the Big XII be disolved or make history. I hope for the sake of all Big XII fans that good things happen. Big XII fans are the best and most loyal fans there are. Hopefully the Big XII will be around for many years to come.
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