Fleeing Big 12? Deputy Commissioner Takes Shot at Longhorns Over SEC Move
ARLINGTON -- Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy might be the most vocal about Texas and Oklahoma's departure to the SEC, but he's not the only prominent name in the Big 12 giving the cold shoulder to the two flagship schools.
Big 12 deputy commissioner Tim Weiser decided to poke the bear when taking a shot at the Longhorns during a radio interview Wednesday at Big 12 Media Days. Wieser, who previously served as Kansas State's athletic director from 2001-08, admitted he "felt at times a little bit like we had been betrayed" by Texas and Oklahoma's decision to end their time in the Big 12.
Weiser took it a step further by stating Texas' departure was about much more than money.
"I continue to maintain that the choice Texas made wasn't a financial one, because we all know what Texas' resources are like," Weiser said on the 3MAW podcast as part of the KC Sports Network. "I think theirs was more about affiliating with a group of schools that on a given Saturday, they would rather get beat by Alabama than they would Kansas State or (lose to) Florida than Iowa State. That, I think, was really what was driving the way they looked out down the road."
Texas, the preseason favorite to win the conference for the first time since 2009, has been one of college football's more profitable teams for the past decade. Money has never been a concern on the Forty Acres, but expectations have grown in recent years due to the emergence of NIL and the transfer portal.
The SEC adds more prominence to the brand, but also higher demands for success. Gone are matchups with programs like Baylor, Kansas, and West Virginia. Enter showdowns with institutions like Alabama, LSU and Georgia in their place.
Those three are just several of a handful of teams that could derail early success for the Longhorns in the SEC. Florida, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Ole Miss are second-tier programs, but most would likely contend alongside the Horns for a Big 12 title.
Weiser's comments are only partially correct, however. Iowa State has won three of its last four matchups against the Horns. Since the Charlie Strong era, Texas has won eight of its last 10 matchups over Kansas State, including six straight since 2017.
The difference, however, is conference championships. Chris Klieman helped the Wildcats' take down undefeated TCU last December for their first outright Big 12 championship since 2003. Led by Matt Campbell, Brock Purdy and Breece Hall, Iowa State fought for a conference title against Oklahoma in 2020.
Texas hasn't been back to Arlington since 2018 under Tom Herman. It has yet to win the conference title game since 2009. back when Colt McCoy and Mack Brown were still running the show.
While fans are dissatisfied with the ending of Bedlem, Weiser was more sympathetic to Oklahoma's decision to leave compared to Gundy, stating the Sooners were somewhat of a package deal with Texas.
"I think they were more what I would call the reluctant bride," Weiser said. "That kind of felt like, 'Wow, if we don't go, what happens to the Texas-OU football game, basketball game, all the things that we know from an OU-Texas standpoint are really important. I kind of felt like if I was in Oklahoma's case, it would have been hard for me to not think about the long-term and, 'Don't we want to be affiliated with Texas and now these other schools?'"
Initially expected to leave on July 1, 2025, commissioner Brett Yormark worked out an early exit agreement with both programs to depart a year early. Texas and Oklahoma paid withdrawal fees of a combined $100 million to join the SEC on July 1, 2024.
Both the Longhorns and Sooners will look to end their time in the Big 12 with a championship attached to their name as part of a new 14-team conference with the arrivals of BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston. Weiser said it would be hard to keep the two schools even with the additions of the four new programs due to the television revenue given out by the SEC and Big Ten.
Then again, money doesn't buy wins. According to Weiser, if dollar bills paid for success, Texas would have won multiple conference championships since the start of the 2010s.
"If it was always about who spends the most money, Texas should be winning championships in every sport and they don't, because it's about more than just money," Weiser said.
The Longhorns will face BYU at Royal-Memorial Stadium and Houston on the road. Under second-year coach Brent Venables, Oklahoma will take on UCF at home while traveling to meet Cincinnati and BYU.
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