The Big 12 - Just Play Football

Now, I am not saying that I hate football but to be clear, I am not an avid fan. In fact, I am not an avid sports fan of any type, but frankly I miss the Southwest Conference, particularly with all the bickering, posturing and whining that is and has been going on in the Big 12.

Will they, won't they, will they be allowed to…..someone is going to sue…..everyone else is bailing...who's coming next…..whine, whine, whine. The noise from the debacle has been so great that you don't really even get a chance to follow your team - because all of the talk is about politics within the conference. What happened to playing?

My question about all this is - whose bright idea was it to break up the Southwest Conference in the first place? Used to be, for college kids in Texas, one bright spot of the year was the Cotton Bowl - which actually meant something to people who grew up in Texas and had families raised on cotton or other Texas farming. We also actually had the chance to attend away games - because they were mostly in Texas. In the changeover SMU, Houston, Rice and TCU got left out -didn't TCU give us a big surprise? And even though the Rice game was never particularly challenging - the halftime show with the Rice band was highly entertaining.

So why did the SWC break up? Oh yes, I remember - it was about money. This is what all the posturing is about now, and only that. What happened to playing football? Now the Cotton Bowl is no better than the Compass Bowl, the New Mexico Bowl, the Humanitarian Bowl, the New Orleans Bowl, the CapitolOne Bowl and is even worse than the Fiesta Bowl….need I go on?

Frankly, if it has to be said, if I am any kind of fan, I am a Longhorn fan and was encouraged to be so since I was a small child and able to form my fingers into the hook 'em signal. This was not because my parents were Longhorns, but because my mom was from Texas, we lived near Oklahoma City and all of her friends were from Oklahoma and were OU fans. She did it, to irritate them.

I did actually eventually attend the University of Texas and even though I am not a sports enthusiast, I actually paid the "massive" activity fee ($50 many years ago which seemed like a lot of money) for the "opportunity" to stand in line to get tickets, attend the game and have nachos rain and soda rain down on me in the student section while the 'horns mostly lost - because that was in the unfortunate days that the "Longhorns were AKERS away from Cotton".

I do have relatives who attended Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor, University of Houston, Rice, and OSU. And since I was born in Oklahoma and went to "Young Sooners" daycare, I am not unfamiliar with the rivalries nor do I have a lack of respect for any of those schools. That being said, everyone and I mean EVERYONE I know has always considered Texas, THE University (as my great-grandparents used to say) to be their biggest rival.

Anyone who can look at the situation objectively can see that Texas has been in the National spotlight and been on top more often than any other school in the conference (the old SWC or the Big 12, now apparently back to 10). Since that is true, it would also be logical that UT would get more TV attention. Jealousy and hatred against Texas has been a long standing tradition in most non-Longhorn camps. Why, because they win more and are bigger - with more students than any other school besides Ohio State. In years past, I have actually had to take my phone off the hook to prevent gloating relatives from calling me if UT lost.

A&M may have succeeded in SECeding from the Big 12, but I believe they won't find the happy life where they are the spotlight there either. There is big competition in the SEC. OU, OSU, UT and whoever else may also succeed at withdrawing from the Big 12 joining some other conference but that will only serve to further fracture what used to be a fun sport in Texas. I am disappointed, even as a non-enthusiast.

Although A&M has expressed interest in continuing the 117 year-old traditional Thanksgiving Day rivalry with UT - I actually hope they don't get to, I hope they will know forever that in a school that supposedly values tradition more than any other - they have SECeded in destroying one of the best. This has been done for money but also over hurt feelings and a TV station which isn't even national or widely carried and which they were offered a part of but turned it down.

Now, TCU has been invited to join the stew - vindication perhaps for the fact that they, along with several other SW conference teams weren't invited in the first place. They are doing well right now, but it remains to be seen as to how they do against the bigger competition in the Big 12.

In the meantime, can't everyone just get back to playing the football game for what it is worth? I would actually rather see that than this constant bickering and posturing. Just play.