Big 12 can prove growth at Media Days

July 22, 201210:37 p.m.

I had a good laugh after taking this picture at Big 12 Media Days last year.

There on stage stood the majority of the conference’s football coaches in different outfits, not exactly sure what to do in front of a big media crowd. Behind them was a hired announcer with a microphone, excitingly telling everyone to take out their cameras because, as he put it: “It’s rare you have the chance to get all 10 coaches in the Big 12 together for a picture.”

Incredibly rare considering all 10 coaches weren’t even up there. If you look close, Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville bailed on the event. We were later told he was playing golf at a Red Raiders function.

Still, I had a new camera in my right pocket, so I took it out and snapped the bad boy you see above. Glad I did, because it provides a perfect snapshot of everything that was wrong with the Big 12 back then.

Former Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe, who stepped down under considerable fire a few months later, didn’t have control of the conference. There were rumors Texas A&M wanted out (turned out the Aggies were already tunneling under the fence), Missouri wasn’t exactly happy either (the Tigers are now in the SEC with A&M) and everyone was angry at Texas because of The Longhorn Network, and then … this.

Beebe couldn’t even arrange for all 10 of the Big 12′s coaches to show up for a picture.

Ouch.

Making the moment even more embarrassing, the photo-op came in the middle of an over-the-top presentation that began with Beebe walking on stage with the theme music from “The Natural” blaring behind him.

Instead of addressing the problems that existed within the league, the Big 12 tried to impress onlookers with a ridiculous show of smoke and mirrors. It didn’t work. The league almost crumbled.

The conference has come a long way since then, of course. Lengthy, mega television deals have been signed, granting of rights have been agreed to, a new commissioner has been hired, The Longhorn Network is no longer hated, The Champions Bowl looks like a trendsetter and TCU and West Virginia are thrilled to be the new kids on the block.

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Cotton Bowl Countdown: Big 12 vs. SEC

Dec. 16, 20114:30 p.m.

The Sporting News put together a list of this season’s best non-BCS bowl games yesterday, and the Cotton Bowl came in at No. 1.

No surprise there. It is a top 10 game between 10-2 Arkansas and 10-2 Kansas State in a beautiful, new stadium. What’s not to like? Outside of the BCS title game and the Fiesta Bowl, you could make an argument for it being the third best postseason game out there. Even if you like the Rose Bowl better, the Cotton Bowl definitely looks to be more entertaining than the Orange and Sugar Bowls.

Here is how The Sporting News summed up the game:

“The Wildcats don’t have Arkansas’ talent, but can the Hogs match K-State’s will to win? Bill Snyder plus Bobby Petrino equals two premier coaches.”

I’ve got one more reason why the Cotton Bowl looks like a can’t-miss game: It’s a battle between the Big 12 and the SEC — the two most respected football conferences of 2011.

Or, as a wise e-mailer named David wrote when he suggested I blog about this topic:

“It is the only Big12-SEC matchup of the Bowl Season! The entire conference (Big 12) was fighting for survival what feels like just a few months ago, and with our two most recent turncoats (Texas A&M and Missouri) going to the SEC, this game seems like the only ‘statement’ opportunity to let the SEC know there is another conference in the nation on their level.”

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Cotton Bowl Countdown: Realignment redux

Dec. 8, 20111:28 p.m.

Arkansas and Kansas State have been on opposite ends of the conference realignment shuffle.

Over the past two years, Arkansas fans have kicked back and laughed as schools across the country scrambled to find the best possible place for their athletic departments. When the Big 12 reportedly reached out to the Razorbacks a few months ago and asked if they had any interest in leaving the SEC, the answer was a simple “Thanks, but no thanks.”

K-State fans, meanwhile, have sweated out the departures of four teams from the Big 12. First Nebraska and Colorado. Then Texas A&M and Missouri. Everything seems to be stable in Big 12 country now that the conference has added West Virginia and TCU. Texas and Oklahoma have agreed to equal revenue sharing, and the league had a fabulous football season. But there were some tense times in there.

Why were their experiences so different? Arkansas decided to get in on conference realignment 20 years early.

In 1990, the SEC was looking for new teams. After shopping all over the region, it added the Razorbacks and South Carolina. The move allowed the SEC to play its first conference championship game in football.

Up to that point, Arkansas was a long-time member of the Southwest Conference. Read More »

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Kirk Schulz excited about West Virginia

Oct. 28, 20112:22 p.m.

For the second time in a few weeks, Kansas State president Kirk Schulz proudly welcomed a new member to the Big 12 today.

This time, he welcomes West Virginia, a university out of the Big East that has won two BCS bowl games and recently went to the Final Four.

“They immediately bring very competitive athletic programs to the conference,” said Schulz, who serves as the chair of the Big 12′s expansion committee. “They are consistently the top football program in the Big East. Under coach Bob Huggins they have been outstanding in men’s basketball, as well. They have been successful in other sports. They bring a lot to the table, immediately.”

Schulz also said West Virginia will be a nice academic fit with the Big 12.

The Mountaineers won’t, however, be an easy geographical fit for the Big 12. When the conference added TCU, it added a school from within its footprint. No matter where you are, it’s easy to get to Fort Worth for a game. But Morgantown, W. Va.? That’s a different story.

“It clearly is a concern,” Schulz said. “Part of the conversation we had was really focused around the additional travel time we would face with them in the conference, but at the same time we felt that the other positive attributes about West Virginia were more important than the travel considerations.

“… As a conference, we’re competing against the Pac-12 and the SEC. The only way to do that is to bring in the strongest programs that we can. That’s what we’ve done.”
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Where K-State stands with realignment

Sept. 6, 20116:27 p.m.

While Kansas State athletic officials remain committed in their efforts to save the Big 12, at least one possible contingency plan seems to be developing should the Wildcats’ current conference crumble: The Big East.

A source told me today that the Wildcats currently view a move to that conference, especially if rival Kansas is involved, as an acceptable backup option should its current league crumble.

The source stressed the meaning of the word “backup,” though. A move to the Big East would put considerable travel demands on K-State’s athletic teams, and mean less television money than they are set to receive in the Big 12.

While making multiple trips to the East coast would be doable two or three times a year for football, it would be a headache for every other sport. Having in-state rival Kansas to play, and possibly Missouri would help ease those travel concerns.

But all sorts of different scenarios could play out in this current round of conference realignment (everything from Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to the Pac-12 and Texas to the ACC has been reported) and they would need to play out in a very specific way for K-State to seriously ponder membership in a new conference.

The top priority remains helping the Big 12 expand after the expected loss of Texas A&M. Should any combination of the Oklahoma schools, Texas or Texas Tech jump to the Pac-12 shortly after, there are differing opinions on whether the Big 12 could be rebuilt. But I’m told K-State also considers that a possible backup option.

The main thing K-State administrators seem to be in agreement on is that no matter what conferences look like when the smoke clears, the Wildcats will be a member of a BCS conference. Everyone I’ve talked to insists that.
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K-State issues statement on Big 12

Aug. 31, 20112:23 p.m.

Kansas State officials said they were committed to the Big 12 when Texas A&M was considering a move to the SEC, and their stance hasn’t changed now that the Aggies are officially on their way out of the Big 12.

“K-State remains fully committed to the Big 12 Conference and continues to be excited about its future,” said K-State president Kirk Schulz and athletic director John Currie in a joint statement.

“There is great solidarity among the nine league institutions and an eagerness to achieve the stability our students, fans and alumni deserve. We remain actively engaged with our conference administration and fellow presidents and athletic directors in proactively determining our next steps.”

Big 12 Board of Directors Chairman and University of Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton released a similar statement this afternoon.

“The chancellors and presidents of the Big 12 are committed to keeping our conference competitively and academically strong,” Deaton said. “We have a process in place that enables us to move aggressively regarding the possible expansion of the conference and to assure our members and student-athletes that we will take advantage of the most productive opportunities in the best interests of all.”

And here’s one more statement from Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe:

“The presidents and chancellors of the nine remaining member institutions are steadfast in their commitment to the Big 12. As previously stated, the Conference will move forward aggressively exploring its membership options.”

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Regent feels ‘real good’ about Big 12 future

Aug. 14, 201110:23 a.m.

When the Kansas Board of Regents meet in Arcadia on Monday for their annual three-day retreat, Dan Lykins is certain conference realignment will be discussed.

Lykins, a Topeka attorney and Kansas State alum who serves on the board, said he is looking forward to hearing about the topic from both K-State president Kirk Schulz and Kansas chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little.

As long as Texas A&M is considering a move to the SEC, he says the status of the Big 12 “is a critical issue that the regents are very concerned about.”

However, he is feeling much better about the league’s future than he was during last summer’s conference realignment scare, when he openly wondered at times if the Big 12 was going to survive.

Though he and the other regents have not been actively involved in any realignment discussions, such as the conference calls that Big 12 athletic directors and presidents participated in Saturday afternoon, he says administrators from both K-State and KU have kept them informed.

So far, he likes what he hears.

“No one can force Texas A&M to do anything,” Lykins said. “Right now, it’s in their corner. So it’s a waiting game. But I feel comfortable that whatever happens, KU and K-State will still be in the Big 12 and will continue working together to make this a better conference … I feel real good about what’s going on.”

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What John Currie learned from the first conference realignment scare

Aug. 11, 20111:06 p.m.

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to talk with Kansas State athletic director John Currie about what it was like for him dealing with the conference realignment scare of 2010.

How did he handle it? How stressful was that time? What did he learn? Those type of questions.

The conversation came near the end of June, when he was so confident about the makeup of a 10-team Big 12 that he said, “We emerged stronger than ever as a league and we have a great, great future.”

Today, I’m guessing he would say something a little different. Now that the rumblings of Texas A&M plotting a move to the SEC have gone national, there is concern across the Big 12.

A lot of dominoes need to fall in just the right way before panic sets in as it did last summer, when it briefly looked like teams such as Kansas, Missouri, K-State, Baylor and Iowa State would be left without a conference to call home.

This whole act could be nothing more than a bluff from the Aggies, the SEC expanding to 13 doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and there’s a decent chance the Big 12 could survive the loss of A&M and continue as a nine-team league.

Still conference realignment is once again a topic of conversation.

One thing that should help everyone involved this time around, should serious negotiations need to be made, is that they’ve been through this dance before. Here is how Currie remembers it:
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A few more thoughts from John Currie

Aug. 1, 20112:06 p.m.

It’s hard to believe, I know, but I have a few interesting tidbits about John Currie and his plans for Kansas State athletics that didn’t make it into my profile of him over the weekend.

Don’t know that this blog needs any further buildup than that, so here they are:

Football Scheduling
One of the most challenging tasks for K-State’s athletic director has been working with coach Bill Snyder to schedule nonconference football games. In little more than two years on the job, Currie has called off scheduled games with Oregon and Virginia Tech and added a series against Texas-San Antonio.

Those moves coincide with Snyder’s long-held preference of playing beatable opponents at home early in the season. Currie told me he likes that approach, but every now and then a big-name team will show up on K-State’s schedule. After much debate, he decided to go ahead with a series against Miami. And there has been talk of setting up a series with Wisconsin.

Now, don’t expect that caliber of opponent to show up on the Wildcats’ nonconference schedule every year, but they will be there every two or three years. Currie said he has received lots of positive feedback from K-State fans who made the trip to Auburn for a road game in 2007. They enjoyed the experience, so Currie will try to keep those games on the schedule in a limited capacity. And while we’re on the subject of Auburn, the defending national champs owe K-State a return game in 2014. Unless an “extraordinary opportunity” presents itself, Currie told me he expects that game to be played as scheduled.
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David Garrett snubbed by Big 12 coaches

Nov. 30, 20102:24 p.m.

The Big 12 announced its all-conference team, as voted on by league coaches, today. Seven Kansas State players were honored, with William Powell leading the way as the first-team kick returner.

Daniel Thomas, Zach Kendall and Ty Zimmerman (who was named Big 12 defensive freshman of the year) made the second team. Josh Cherry, Stephen Harrison, Aubrey Quarles and Terrance Sweeney were honorable mentions.

But junior cornerback David Garrett, for some reason, did not make the cut. I guess the 11 Big 12 coaches allowed to vote for him weren’t impressed by his team-leading 86 tackles (13 for loss) or nine pass break-ups this season.

Too bad. Garrett has established himself as a consistent force on the Wildcats’ defense, and some consider him to be the best defensive player on the roster. For three members of K-State’s secondary to be honored, and one of them not to be Garrett, seems crazy.

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