New Big 12 needs an East-West split

Though it seems much longer, it's only been seven years since the Big 12 launched its “One True Champion” PR campaign.

It was goofy from the get go.

Was the Big 12 signaling it had a superior way of determining a champion? Why would its champ be any more legit than the Big Ten's or the SEC's or any other conference's?

Even though I've poked fun at “One True Champion” and its offspring “Every Game Matters,” I understand the thinking behind them. The Big 12 was trying to find a positive spin on a round of conference realignment that left it battered and bloodied. It lost some stalwarts, some heavyweights, but hey, with only 10 schools left, at least every football team could play every other league team each season.

Hence, “One True Champion.”

But alas — or should I say, at last — it will be no more.

Big 12 expansion is on the horizon. As the conference play begins in earnest this week, it's a reminder the format for conference football games is soon to change. BYU will join the Big 12 before the start of the 2023 season while Cincinnati, Houston and UCF will be added no later than 2024.

So, how will conference play work since everyone playing everyone in conference is no longer an option?

This much we know: the Big 12 will be split into two divisions for football. That was disclosed a couple weeks ago when the conference announced the addition of those new schools.

But what will the divisions be? North and South?

East and West?

And what will the dividing lines be? Before we jump into the options, we're going to shelve any conversation involv

ing a 14-team conference. It is possible the Big 12 could include the four new teams as well as OU and Texas for a bit. The new schools are all slated to be in the fold no later than July 1, 2024, and OU and Texas are contractually tied to the Big 12 through July 1, 2025.

But there are lots of reasons to believe OU and Texas will never play conference games against the newbies, prime among them that the Sooners and Longhorns want to be in the SEC yesterday.

So, let's work under the assumption the expanded Big 12 will be a 12-team league with these schools: Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF and West Virginia.

If the Big 12 goes with North and South divisions, it would be returning to its roots. The conference went with such a split when it first came into being in 1996, lumping the two Oklahoma schools with the four Texas schools in the South and putting everyone else in the North. It worked splendidly.

But the schools in the new Big 12 are much more spread out geographically. The conference doesn't go from sea to shining sea, but Morgantown, West Virginia, to Provo, Utah, is still quite a haul.

And those teams would be divisional partners if the Big 12 went with a northsouth split.

North: BYU, K-State, Kansas, Iowa State, Cincy, West Virginia.

South: Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, Houston, OSU, UCF.

I'm just not sure that makes sense because of some of the long road trips.

East and West divisions are a better option, plus it would be a fresh start for a new era.

But where should the dividing line be? If you go with a true east-west divide, the East would be UCF, West Virginia, Cincy, Iowa State, Kansas and Houston while the West would be K-State, OSU, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech and BYU.

That doesn't work because you'd be splitting traditional rivals Kansas and Kansas State and potential rivals Baylor and Houston. More rivals playing more often is always best.

So, that would mean a divisional split would be best where Kansas and Kansas State are together, Baylor and Houston are together (they're less than three hours apart) and West Virginia and Cincy are together (they're four and half hours apart but so very far from everyone else).

With that in mind, one split could be on a northwest-to-southeast diagonal.

West: all the Texas schools, OSU and BYU.

East. both the Kansas schools, Iowa State, Cincy, West Virginia and UCF.

Those divisions don't stink, but I'm pretty sure some of those East schools would like to have at least one football game a year in Texas. That is such fertile recruiting ground when asked about Big 12 expansion, OSU coach Mike Gundy seemed most excited about replacing Texas with another Lone Star State school. Adding Houston means another chance for the Cowboys to play and be seen in Texas.

So, putting all the Texas schools in the same division might not be the most fair option.

Another east-west split line that is familiar in our neck of the woods might well be the fix for Big 12 divisions — Interstate 35.

This was an idea that came onto my radar because of Mike Noteware, longtime athletic department employee at OSU. When he originally mentioned it, I did a quick split of the schools, and honestly, I completely botched it because a couple schools are in places straddling I-35 and the campuses aren't where I thought they were.

But after putting Google Maps to good use, the I-35 split would look like this:

East: UCF, West Virginia, Cincy, OSU, Baylor and Houston.

West: Iowa State, Kansas, K-State, TCU, Texas Tech and BYU.

That, my friends, is an intriguing set up.

Now, if I'm being selfish, I'd prefer to maximize trips to BYU because Provo is beautiful and UCF because Orlando in October and November would be warm and lovely. But I'm sure there are lots of folks who have lots of favorites.

But the I-35 divide would accomplish several things.

❚ Limit super long road trips: There will always be some with cross-divisional play, but you wouldn't have a ton.

❚ Encourage rivalries: Traditional ones stick together while new ones seem possible. (BYU-TCU anyone? A new Holy War?)

❚ Maximize Texas: Every non-Texas team is assured at least one game a year in the Lone Star State.

So, what will the Big 12 do? On the day the expansion schools were announced, commissioner Bob Bowlsby said little thought had been given to divisions. Too many other irons in the fire. But with no schools joining the conference until at least 2023, there would be time to figure out the divisions.

“We'll need to try to find ways to divide them as competitively, equally as we possibly can,” Bowlsby said.

There's no perfect plan. Whatever the Big 12 does, some schools will be miffed. A few may be furious. But compromise means no one is entirely happy or entirely angry, though I truly believe the I-35 divide would maximize the joy.

And for those who aren't overly happy, just remember: no more “One True Champion.”

That's something everyone can smile about. Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at twitter.com/ jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

SAM GREENE/THE ENQUIRER Cincinnati is one of four schools set to join the Big 12 over the next few years, and with the additional teams, the conference will have two divisions for football. What's the best setup?