UH SHUT OUT
UH’s positives not enough to impress Big 12’s top-heavy aristocracy
The Cougars have a lot going for them, but not enough to sway the Big 12.
Igave much thought to a fitting analogy that would best capture and describe this week’s news that the Big 12 had declined to expand, thus leaving the University of Houston on the outside looking in.
It is a royal mess in which the University of Houston was, um, let’s just say, mistreated. Royally.
Unfortunately, for UH, many of us saw this coming.
As hopeful as UH was, as desperate at UH is, getting into the Big 12 was always a long shot.
Not only because the Big 12 is comically mismanaged, especially as represented by the blathering of Oklahoma president David Boren, but because Big 12 schools are among the haves and UH is one of the have-nots.
No amount of complaining, campaigning or hashtagging could change that.
College athletics is an aristocracy. It is rare that commoners are welcomed into the royal family.
The rulers believe in trickle-down economics, not reach-down economics. They are not inclined to lend a helping hand.
And they knew it all along, yet chose to offer hope to the less fortunate by announcing there could be an opening or two for mixed marriages of sorts.
UH cleaned itself up — begged and borrowed to buy new clothes, bathed and shaved — and showed up at the Power Five castle for a royal wedding.
The Cougars — and a host of other wannabes, who likewise fell for the ruse that the Big 12 was indeed open to expansion — were summarily turned away. Dissed in a public fashion as if it were a penniless Wallis Simpson.
As I said in this space a few weeks ago, bottom-tier schools like Iowa State aren’t interested in adding UH to the Big 12.
Additional competition potentially lessens their status in their game of thrones. That is too much to risk and despite what UH brings to the table, not much to gain.
Big 12 memberships has its advantages, starting with $30 million-plus a year in television revenue.
“The only difference between Iowa State and the schools that didn’t get in (the Big 12) is the fact that we’re on the inside looking out and they’re on the outside looking in,” Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said in an interview on a Des Moines radio station
Tuesday.
The Big 12 has 10 schools, but only two royals. Two true college football blue bloods: Texas and Oklahoma.
You better believe the otherwise commoners, who are part of the royal family by invite only, know that.
Part of the penance for accepting that for which they may not be worthy, is schools like Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas, Texas Tech, et al, must keep Texas and Oklahoma happy by doing whatever UT and OU demand. And it is worth it. Pollard is one of the few willing to admit it. “The Big 12 exists because we’ve got Texas and Oklahoma in the room,” Pollard said. “If we take Texas and Oklahoma out of the room, we’re the Mountain West Conference, and we’re gonna get $3 million (per year in TV revenue).
“We’ve got two star players, whether people want to like that or not. We have two star players: Texas and Oklahoma. I’m glad to be on a team that’s got two great players. We benefit from being on that team. We could go play on a weaker team and be the star, but then everybody would be saying, ‘How do you get us in one of those Power Five conferences, Mr. AD?’ ”
UH fans have asked its myriad of ADs that question since the mid-1990s.
Not until recent years have the UH administration and alumni given their athletic directors enough money and support to even have this conversation. Millions and millions spent on a new football stadium and practice facility, a redone basketball arena and a firstclass basketball training facility. Millions spent on quality, name coaches.
Sadly, that still wasn’t enough to impress the Big 12.
Big 12 members teased UH like royal families have toyed with hoi polloi for centuries.
This sham of a process to get into the conference was one long, sick, disgusting joke.
Not unlike the infamous one that ends with the punchline, “The Aristocrats!”