Mike Meals
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The View From Beyond The Shoe: Big 12 – DOA
Mike Meals via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Time: 11:37 PM, Local Time. Date: September 17th, 2016. Location: 76 Canyon Road, Berkeley, California 94704. Crime: The murder of the 2016 Big 12 College Football Playoff hopes and dreams.
When Houston took on Oklahoma in early September, everyone in college football knew that this was going to be a game…one that shows where Oklahoma was in terms of their planned returned to the CFP this season, one that shows if Houston was a one-hit wonder last year, and one that showed the nation that college football was officially back for 2016.
As everyone knows, OU lost that game, handedly, to a Group of 5 team. Granted, UH is probably the best (and the highest ranked) Go5 team this year, but it was a loss to a Group of 5 team none the less. The Sooners had a chance to return to glory, as even Ohio State fans know, an early season loss is recoverable.
Later that weekend, the Sooners were turned into something they hate…Texas fans. They needed Texas to beat Notre Dame in order to make their season that much better, to strengthen their schedule, and allow the Sooners a chance to redeem themselves with a potential running of the table back into the CFP.
Of course, this weekend happened, and none of that mattered anymore. The Buckeyes flat out destroyed the Sooners, in every facet of the game. While Oklahoma is still probably one of the best 25 teams in the country, to call them a top 10 team would be insulting to anyone who watches football on any level.
But the Big 12 still had hope. Charlie Strong took his Longhorns to Berkeley to take on the Golden Bears of Cal. Suddenly, everyone at the B1g 12 headquarters in Dallas became Longhorns. The entire season was riding on Texas running the table and earning a spot in the Dance at the end.
You see, this wasn’t much of a stretch though. Anyone with any kind of observation knows the Big 12 is really Texas/Oklahoma and friends. Football makes the college world go ‘round, and the Big 12 has never tried or done a good job at hiding that all the money in the conference lives in Austin or Norman. These 2 schools control everything…football TV money distribution, expansion, even the opportunity for the conference to fold and split teams up into the other 4 of the Power 5 conferences.
Anyone who has watched the conference this year knows they died Saturday night in Berkeley. It is a well-known fact that the defensive play of all 10 teams is a joke at best. Even TCU slid backwards into a Big 12 defense. That was one of their strengths before they made the Power 5 leap.
As it is now, the only hope for the conference is…no one. The respect the power 2 used to have won’t carry a conference champion into the playoffs. That means there will be no CFP money to split up among the teams.
The only thing the Big 12 has going for it anymore this year? Conference expansion. I have never hidden my support for the UH to the Big 12 push. I personally think the conference goes to 14 teams. UH, UC, BYU, Air Force. Those are my 4. I think it brings a lot to the table…recruits, respect, and TV money.
Why am I looking forward to expansion? I live in Big 12 country, even though I follow the B1G. And around here, there isn’t much left to hold onto for the locals. But it made me think…what if this really is the true cause of death for the Big 12? Do these dashed dreams start the ball that causes the conference to over-inflate and eventually die? There are more than a few folks who have thought college football is going to 4 “Mega Conferences”. Could this year be the first leak in the dyke that takes us there?
It really could be.
The post The View From Beyond The Shoe: Big 12 – DOA appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
Mike Meals via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Time: 11:37 PM, Local Time. Date: September 17th, 2016. Location: 76 Canyon Road, Berkeley, California 94704. Crime: The murder of the 2016 Big 12 College Football Playoff hopes and dreams.
When Houston took on Oklahoma in early September, everyone in college football knew that this was going to be a game…one that shows where Oklahoma was in terms of their planned returned to the CFP this season, one that shows if Houston was a one-hit wonder last year, and one that showed the nation that college football was officially back for 2016.
As everyone knows, OU lost that game, handedly, to a Group of 5 team. Granted, UH is probably the best (and the highest ranked) Go5 team this year, but it was a loss to a Group of 5 team none the less. The Sooners had a chance to return to glory, as even Ohio State fans know, an early season loss is recoverable.
Later that weekend, the Sooners were turned into something they hate…Texas fans. They needed Texas to beat Notre Dame in order to make their season that much better, to strengthen their schedule, and allow the Sooners a chance to redeem themselves with a potential running of the table back into the CFP.
Of course, this weekend happened, and none of that mattered anymore. The Buckeyes flat out destroyed the Sooners, in every facet of the game. While Oklahoma is still probably one of the best 25 teams in the country, to call them a top 10 team would be insulting to anyone who watches football on any level.
But the Big 12 still had hope. Charlie Strong took his Longhorns to Berkeley to take on the Golden Bears of Cal. Suddenly, everyone at the B1g 12 headquarters in Dallas became Longhorns. The entire season was riding on Texas running the table and earning a spot in the Dance at the end.
You see, this wasn’t much of a stretch though. Anyone with any kind of observation knows the Big 12 is really Texas/Oklahoma and friends. Football makes the college world go ‘round, and the Big 12 has never tried or done a good job at hiding that all the money in the conference lives in Austin or Norman. These 2 schools control everything…football TV money distribution, expansion, even the opportunity for the conference to fold and split teams up into the other 4 of the Power 5 conferences.
Anyone who has watched the conference this year knows they died Saturday night in Berkeley. It is a well-known fact that the defensive play of all 10 teams is a joke at best. Even TCU slid backwards into a Big 12 defense. That was one of their strengths before they made the Power 5 leap.
As it is now, the only hope for the conference is…no one. The respect the power 2 used to have won’t carry a conference champion into the playoffs. That means there will be no CFP money to split up among the teams.
The only thing the Big 12 has going for it anymore this year? Conference expansion. I have never hidden my support for the UH to the Big 12 push. I personally think the conference goes to 14 teams. UH, UC, BYU, Air Force. Those are my 4. I think it brings a lot to the table…recruits, respect, and TV money.
Why am I looking forward to expansion? I live in Big 12 country, even though I follow the B1G. And around here, there isn’t much left to hold onto for the locals. But it made me think…what if this really is the true cause of death for the Big 12? Do these dashed dreams start the ball that causes the conference to over-inflate and eventually die? There are more than a few folks who have thought college football is going to 4 “Mega Conferences”. Could this year be the first leak in the dyke that takes us there?
It really could be.
The post The View From Beyond The Shoe: Big 12 – DOA appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...