Several Big 12 Coaches Comment on the Direction of the League
Conference realignment has been centerstage the last two summers. USC and UCLA’s latest move from the Pac 12 to the Big 10 Conference has three conferences from the Power Five, the ACC, Big 12 and Pac 12, wondering where their futures lie in the current college football landscape.
Reports and rumors circulated in the days following UCLA and USC’s departure from the Pac 12, one in particular was four members of the Pac 12, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado were bolting for the Big 12. However, it cooled after the Pac 12 announced it’s moving forward with media rights negotiations and was looking into a partnership with either the ACC or Big 12, but ESPN cited Monday night those discussions ended.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said in his introductory press conference during Big 12 Media Days the league last week that the league will be “exploring all options, and we're open for business.”
On Monday, CBS reported the Big 12, Notre Dame and NBC could come to an agreement. While options fall to the wayside and others rise to the top as conferences jockey for position in the arms race of college football, and the coaches around the Big 12 are rallying around their new commissioner.
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“The good thing about it is I've got a lot of worries and a lot of concerns, but conference realignment is way down the list for me," said West Virginia head coach Neal Brown. “Now, the guys that spoke first, it's probably a different story, right. For us, those decisions are not getting made by football coaches. Those decisions are getting made at a much higher level. I'll say -- I'll repeat what I said in our opening statement. I'm really excited about the direction of the Big 12 Conference. I think some things over the last few weeks have created a great opportunity for our league. From a West Virginia perspective, we played in -- we're a little bit different than maybe some of the other schools whose uniforms are up here. We've played in multiple leagues over the last 50 to 75 years. We've even been independent. The one constant is that West Virginia football has always been successful and has always figured out a way to make it work.”
Yormark mentioned he had brief conversations with the coaches saying, "it was a way to introduce myself, let them know I'm a resource, I'm 24/7 and I'm thrilled to be part of the Big 12 family." His introduction brought out glowing reviews during the two-day media even among the coaches in the league.
Jul 13, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy is interviewed during the Big 12 Media Day at AT&T Stadium.
Jerome Miron-USA Today Sports
“I don't think there's any question as this moves forward that the Big 12 Conference is in tremendous position,” said Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy.” I said this after we acquired the four teams that came in. I don't need to go through the detail of each one of them, but if you look at the geographical television opportunities that they bring to the table, the number of viewers based on their location, the success they've had in football, they give us different time zones. They give us success and viewership, and ultimately that's what it comes down to. This is a power struggle for long-term television money. The Big 12 is better off today than it was at this time last year. As I said earlier, I think that we have fantastic leadership. We've got the right people in place. I'm convinced that they'll come up with a plan, and the Big 12 will be here to stay for a long time”
Jul 14, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes is interviewed during the Big 12 Media Day at AT&T Stadium.
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TCU head coach Sonny Dykes believes the passion and investment of the fan bases within the Big 12, along with the new leadership will keep the conference as one of the strongest in the country.
“It all begins with investment and passion and how much you care about being successful, and as I said, that's what's going to make this league successful as we move forward is that the investment is unparalleled,” said Dykes. “You go and you look at what teams are doing now from a facilities standpoint in this league, they're doing nothing but continuing to invest at a higher level. As that happens, the league will continue to improve. And, again, I'm excited about the new leadership in the Big 12, and I think that we're going to be very aggressive and cutting edge in the way we approach preservation and also, too, expansion.”
Jul 14, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell is interviewed during the Big 12 Media Day at AT&T Stadium.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell believes the conference is as tough as it’s ever been.
“Being in this conference from year one to now going into year seven, the one thing that I do think is really special top to bottom in this conference is consistency,” said Campbell. “There's not an easy out on Saturday in the football conference. I think you've seen great coaches, great teams really consistently play week in and week out. I think that has made this conference really special. I think it makes every game that gets played in this conference really special. To be quite honest with you, it's the competition and competitiveness I think gives us an opportunity to move itself forward for sure.”
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