OU vs TCU makes case for keeping the big 12 small

[West Coast Johnny]

This contradiction is a quirky, fun byproduct of the Big 12's decision to ditch the conference championship game, remain at 10 schools and play a full round-robin schedule. As day turned into night on Saturday, the Big 12 was one of only two leagues that mattered. The SEC staged a national semifinal in its conference championship game, but the other conference title games were afterthoughts. The SEC has enough elite teams to stage a meaningful conference title game most seasons, but the other leagues do not. On Saturday morning, tickets for the Big Ten title game were selling for $20 on StubHub. Meanwhile, tickets for the ACC title game were going for $2 on StubHub. Instead of paying two bucks to watch EJ Manuel chuck, the Big 12 staged four football games. One (Kansas-West Virginia) was a dud, but the other two that have been played (Oklahoma-TCU and Oklahoma State-Baylor) were entertaining, one-touchdown games that had bowl placement implications for every team involved and championship implications for Oklahoma. Meanwhile, the late game (Texas-Kansas State) also has conference championship and bowl placement implications.​

That doesn't mean the league offers a perfect product. On the field, the Big 12 might want to examine its officiating. On Saturday in Fort Worth, Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyrus Thompson was only flagged when the rules are clear that he should have been flagged and ejected for pinning and punching TCU defensive end Stansly Maponga. Later, officials called a TCU field goal attempt no good when replays appeared to show the ball hooking inside the right upright. The sun was shining directly into the eyes of the two officials under the uprights, which made a tough call even tougher. The Big 12 -- and all the other leagues -- must do more to help officials get those calls correct. Currently, plays are not reviewable when the ball flies above the uprights. This needs to change, and, given the advances in technology, there must be some way to actually extend the uprights indefinitely. (Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher has suggested lasers. This seems to work when something is blocking the path of my garage door, so it could work here.) The league was lucky TCU didn't punch the ball into the end zone in the final seconds. An overtime loss for the Horned Frogs would have been bemoaned everywhere, because they should have had three more points in regulation.​

Read More: http://sportsillustr...l#ixzz2DrNCoCdl​

 

[The original ArgyleFrog]

well written piece here... glad he mentioned the need for improving Big 12 officiating across the board

 

[Second Driver DFD]

Would the Big 12 make Thompson sit out a game for punch (s) he threw? Yea right! Lol

 

[rifram09]

Define irony: First, a minority of the board moaned about refs all season, while the majority of the board moaned a out the original-moaners. Then a sports illustrated author comes out to side with the minority. Haha

 

[NewFrogFan]

[sup]I'm just afraid if the Big 12 does not expand into a larger conf, they will get picked off when the super conf's come to be.[/sup]

 

[West Coast Johnny]

Watching the PAC, ACC & B!G championship games, with their half empty stadiums and teams that don't even show up (Nebraska) - made for TV exhibitions that result in 6-6 teams (Georgia Tech) within striking distance of ruining a BCS game... I'm glad the Big 12 doesn't have one of these monsters.

 

[Fred Garvin]

Watching the PAC, ACC & B!G championship games, with their half empty stadiums and teams that don't even show up (Nebraska) - made for TV exhibitions that result in 6-6 teams (Georgia Tech) within striking distance of ruining a BCS game... I'm glad the Big 12 doesn't have one of these monsters.

Exactly. Conferences should have every team play every other team like the Big 12 currently does. Unbalanced schedules are definitely unfair and the bigger your conference gets, the more unbalanced the schedule becomes.

 

[go2frogs]

No doubt that a conference championship game is all about money. If Big 12 schools can make enough money and not have to deal with the albatross that all but one conference championship games have become (sometimes including the SEC, but not this year). The playoff system coming will help change this, but maybe not totally until their are 8 teams instead of four teams selected. Most if not all conference championship games should become even less meaningful at that point.

 

[More Frogs the Better]

I think the article makes some very good points but unfortunately, a lot of this conference realignment stuff is not really about good football and good football alone does not make is sustainable against the winds that seem to be blowing toward 14-16 team conferences. If it was just about good football, probably the only conferences that would have been seeking Maryland and Rutgers would be something along the lines of CUSA or the MAC.

The GOR seems on it's face to make the conference unpoachable but if you get 4 teams to agree to go somewhere and 2 to agree to go somewhere else, that would be the vote of 6 to overrule the GOR. We're in a really good place right now so I'm fine if it stays the same or the Big 12 is a poacher. I just don't want the Big 12 to be a poachee and for us to again have to worry about whether we end up with a seat at the big boy table.

 

[Fred Garvin]

The SEC having 14 teams is what made a mockery of their regular season. If Georgia had pulled out the title game, it would have been extremely unfair. During the regular season, they didn't have to play Alabama, LSU or Texas A&M. They had 2 tough games all year - South Carolina and Florida and they lost one of those. They certainly didn't deserve a ticket to the National Championship if they pull that game out.