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With the Big 12 Conference caught off guard as stalwarts University of Texas and Oklahoma University have bolted for even bigger money in the Southeastern Conference during the past week, Oklahoma State University athletics fans may be feeling pretty doggone depressed right now.
The school’s athletics programs are top notch and highly competitive across the board. The rivalry with in-state neighbor OU is so intense that fans call it the “Bedlam Series“. They dislike each other on the field, but, in general, respect each other within the conference.
I lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma for several years and was quite surprised that Tulsa leans more toward Oklahoma State sports while Oklahoma City and vicinity are fervently on the Boomer Schooner bandwagon. I have worked with people who have attended both universities and was surprised that, if their favorite team wasn’t in the running for a championship, they usually bond together as Okies to support the other in-state school.
Having also lived in Texas for much of my career, I can assure you that Texas A&M and University of Texas fans have continued to dislike one another even after the Aggies left for the SEC back in 2012 (Has it really been that long?). Texas fans may be excited to grab some of that SEC money, but the Ags are not thrilled to welcome the Longhorns back into their world once again.
In Oklahoma, Sooner Nation fans rejoiced that they will now be able to prove, once and for all, that their football program is every bit as good as Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Florida, and so on. Maybe, and maybe not. Time will tell.
But how do sports fans of Oklahoma’s OTHER major public university feel about being left behind as the maroon-colored Sooner Schooner sets sail for points eastward in the SEC?
Oklahoma State University (like seven other Big 12 member schools) is understandably in shock wondering how this bus just left without them. Not taking anything away from the other teams in the fast-sinking Big 12 Conference, Oklahoma State has invested quite heavily in upgrading their athletic facilities in recent years in order to enhance their reputation as an athletics power.
The late oil man and OSU alum Boone Pickens gave millions of dollars to help facelift several athletics facilities on the school’s lovely campus in Stillwater (located about halfway between Tulsa and Oklahoma City). His vision helped revive interest in the athletics programs for the past few decades and solidified the Cowboys as a perennial contender in football and other major sports.
Before we examine what can be done to patch-up the Big 12, it’s interesting to examine why the SEC failed to invite Oklahoma State to the party, too?
Sorry, Vanderbilt, but the only thing you had going for your athletics program in recent years is a dandy baseball team which is hampered by some fool who shows up at every home game and whistles on every pitch. Note to Vandy fans — please take away this man’s whistle ASAP!
Vanderbilt is the only private institution in the now-16 team SEC. As one of the original members of the Southeastern Conference back in 1932 (joining founding members Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Louisiana State University, and, one year later, Tennessee), Vanderbilt’s athletics program has been, sadly, a competitive joke for years in most major sports.
For most of my lifetime, Vanderbilt seems to have existed to simply raise the academic profile of the SEC. Vandy’s smarter-than-average athletes have helped to pad the league’s overall GPA and graduation percentages for the longest time. Vanderbilt uses the SEC for athletics income, and the SEC has used Vandy to prop-up the league’s academic image.
It’s time for that to change. It’s about time for this to be said, so I will.
If the SEC wants to have the best 16 college athletics programs currently available, why not send Vanderbilt packing to another conference and bring Oklahoma State into the SEC party?
The sad reality for Vanderbilt Commodore fans is that nearly EVERY SEC opponent buys more football tickets for Vandy’s conference home games than their own fans do. SEC football games played at Vanderbilt have become a big party for traveling fans from Alabama, Georgia, and LSU when it’s time to play a game up in Nashville. Visiting fans routinely outnumber Vanderbilt’s home crowd (with the possible exception of games played against “rival” Tennessee) even the team’s football games are played in the relatively small (40,000 seat) Dudley Field on campus.
By contrast, Oklahoma State’s newly renovated football stadium (lovingly called T. Boone Pickens $tadium) was upgraded and seats just over 55,000 football fans. It is routinely at or near capacity during OSU’s home football season.
Oklahoma State’s basketball program has been legendary going back to Henry (Hank) Iba’s 36 years as the men’s head coach from 1934-1970. The 13,000 seat arena is one of the loudest in the country.
You get the picture. Oklahoma State’s recent and past athletics history has been more relevant than Vanderbilt over the past 50+ years.
Vanderbilt sports a total of 13,000 students (grads and undergrads), while Oklahoma State has over 20,000 undergraduate students and another 4,000 in grad school in Stillwater.
Though Vanderbilt might point to their longstanding rivalry with the state’s flagship University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Big Orange fans likely consider Alabama, Kentucky, and Georgia to be more relevant rivals during football season.
Since this “new” expanded SEC seems more concerned about competitive balance than its academic stature as the NCAA crumbles further by the week, why not add Oklahoma State to the mix and hand Vanderbilt its walking papers? Why should Vanderbilt remain in the SEC any longer when there are clearly better options available to replace them?
Oklahoma State and OU would bring more regional balance into this expanded version of the SEC and keep one of the nation’s greatest annual rivalries alive. OSU is only a few hours west of Fayetteville, Arkansas (home of the Hogs) and fairly close to Missouri, too.
Honestly, this just seems like a no-brainer. The time to act is now!
Let’s assume that my “Plan A” fails. Oklahoma State must immediately take the lead in negotiating a mini-merger with the Big Ten Conference. With Texas and Oklahoma now gone, the former Big 12 is now comprised just eight schools (Oklahoma State, Kansas and Kansas State, Iowa State, West Virginia, Texas Tech, TCU, and Baylor).
The Big Ten Conference now has 14 teams, but the recent additions of Rutgers (New Jersey) and Maryland have been a big dud. The two new teams haven’t been generating much (if any) in the way of incremental national television exposure or excitement, either.
Let’s try my “Plan B” for Oklahoma State. Let’s try this idea for a new Big Ten re-alignment?
- Say “Adios” to Rutgers and Maryland and send them into the ACC. That brings the Big Ten back to 12 teams.
- Add former Big 12 members Oklahoma State, Kansas, Texas Tech, and West Virginia (or, perhaps, Iowa State) into the league for a total of 16 teams.
- Now, let’s rename it: The BIG League!
What about the other former Big 12 teams (Iowa State, Kansas State, TCU, and Baylor)? Those teams should cut a deal with American Athletic Conference (AAC) and join the University of Houston and SMU in this competitive league.
One way or another, Oklahoma State is going to have a new conference affiliation soon. I would prefer to see them find a way to stick with OU and stay in the South with the newly-expanded SEC, but the Big Ten would be foolish not to extend an olive branch to the Pokes soon.
Have patience, Okie State fans!