The Nebraska Cornhuskers and The Colorado Buffaloes left The Big 12
Conference for greener pastures in The Big Ten and Pac-12 Conferences
respectively. This has left The Big 12 two teams shy of the minimum 12
required to conduct a conference championship game in football. Big 12
Commissioner Dan Beebe came under fire as the conference was almost
dissolved altogether last year. Beebe scrambled to secure a television
deal with FOX to preserve the conference. Beebe was able to accomplish
this by increasing the revenue payouts for each school and the remaining
members stayed.
Conference commissioners and athletic directors enjoy “super
conferences” as it gives them the ability to have a conference
championship game. Conference championship games bring in a ton of
revenue which is why conferences that are short of 12 teams will look to
add on to get the game. Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott was persistent
in this as he was able to lure Colorado away from The Big 12 and The
Utah Utes from The Mountain West allowing him to have his title game.
From 1996 to 2010, The Big 12 Championship Game provided it’s share of
excitement. The Texas Longhorns upset Nebraska in 1996 preventing The
‘Huskers from repeating as national champs and we cannot forget
Colorado’s run in 2001 in which they shattered championship dreams for
both Nebraska and Texas in consecutive weeks en route to a Fiesta Bowl
berth. For 2011 the game will be on ice, but there is too much money
that will be wasted and Beebe needs to find two new dancing partners.
Two teams that Beebe should look at are The Brigham Young Cougars and
The Boise State Broncos. After years in both The Western Athletic and
Mountain West Conferences, The Cougars have become an independent in
football. The Cougars recently secured a deal with ESPN to televise all
of BYU’s home games for the next eight years. I am sure all parties
involved could compromise as there would be a ton of money on the table
for everyone. The Cougars would get more exposure for Provo, Utah and
they would be another non-automatic qualifier that would no longer have
to worry about getting left out of The BCS. Utah has gone undefeated
twice in the last decade which included BCS bowl wins over The
Pittsburgh Panthers and Alabama Crimson Tide and did not get a piece of
The BCS Championship. When Utah’s athletic director Chris Hill heard
opportunity knock in the form of leaving The Mountain West for The
Pac-12 he accepted it knowing that his school would be an automatic
qualifier. BYU won a national championship in 1984 and could make the
case of being slighted in 1996. The Cougars went 14-1 that season and
won more games than any other school that season and had to settle for
being ranked #5 in both The Coaches and Associated Press polls. Going
forward it would be nice to see Beebe visit BYU’s campus for a sit down
with athletic director Tom Holmoe.
For Boise State they have become the darlings of the college football
world. America loves an underdog and The Broncos fit that bill. The
Broncos have more than proven that they can hang with “the big boys” of
college football. In 2007 The Broncos shocked everyone except for
themselves when they defeated The Oklahoma Sooners in The Fiesta Bowl.
In the past four season Boise State is 51-2 which includes two Fiesta
Bowl wins. In that span The Broncos have gone undefeated twice and never
got a chance to play for The BCS crown. Like Brigham Young, Beebe
should reach out to this Rocky Mountain region school to have them swap
helmet paint with the likes of Texas and Oklahoma.
There are only a handful of teams that do not have a clear track to The
BCS. Boise has to go undefeated and still have a little luck. Like Utah,
The TCU Horned Frogs will become an automatic qualifier. In 2012 The
Horned Frogs are leaving The Mountain West in favor of The Big East
Conference, which leaves BYU and Boise still needing help to get to The
BCS party.
When Nebraska and Colorado were in The Big 12, both schools competed in
The North Division. Boise and BYU could fill those voids. It would sure
be nice to see warm weather schools such as Texas and Oklahoma make the
travel to Boise, Idaho or Provo late in the season when it is cold.
Beebe lost Nebraska and Colorado mainly because he felt they would never
leave. Those two schools called his bluff and left him laying. Beebe
recovered and saved the conference. To keep up with The ACC, SEC,
Pac-12, and Big Ten that are mega conferences with title games it is
time to get a title game back in The Big 12. Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry
Jones hosted the last two Big 12 Championship Games at Cowboys Stadium
aka “La Casa de Jerry” in Arlington. Cowboys Stadium was the sight for
this season’s game as well until the rug was pulled out under Jones and
Beebe. Now Jones could make money, Beebe could look like a genius, and
Boise and BYU would be automatic qualifiers. It’s a win for everyone
involved so let’s get the ball rolling.
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