DeLoss Dodds: Continuing Texas-Texas A&M Rivalry "Problematic"

The cake looks great, it has been prepared and decorated with the finest appointments. You enjoy having it around. By being present, the cake lets all people know both that you are fancy, and that fun times are going to ensue at some point not too far down the line.

At the same time though, that cake is freakin delicious, and you really want to eat it. But once you stick your face in it or even just cut out a piece, the appearance is broken and ruined. So you can’t have it both ways man. Either appreciate the craftsmanship, or eat the dang cake.

I’d rather keep BOTH rivalries but, if I had to choose, I’d take the Turkey Day game w/ little brother.

But no one else can have a game in the middle of the Texas State Fair against a consistently quality opponent.

He may be white … but I’m the FWMA (Fastest White Man Alive).

not sure Aggies are that smart.

I was in school in the mid-70s, and although aTm was arguably the better team through that period, the game was an afterthought next to OU. OU was the number one rival and it was unquestionable.

After that, the aggies fell in the mix with Arkansas.

Basically, losing the game is largely inconsequential. If you could replace that Thanksgiving spot with someone like Notre Dame, it would be a huge upgrade in terms of interest. And if Kelly gets them back past mediocrity, it’s an exponential upgrade.

I don’t agree at all. When I went to school in the 70s OU was clearly #1. Then Arkansas and then UH. The Aggies were 4th.

Let them go. We don’t have any open spots on the schedule until 2018 and only 1 then. Why should we inconvenience people who keep their agreements for the Aggies?

We can schedule them for a couple of years in 2019 and 2020.

… and raise you a MNC game spot!

Hook ’em hopefully

That is, where is the academic voice of tamu in all this? You know, the same faculty and distinguished alums that called BS on the anti-intellectual, anti-research zealotry behind the politically inspired changes in academic affairs recently (which resulted in a reprimand from the AAU)? Maybe they do not give a hoot about athletics, but surely a largely contingent of aggies are concerned with academics AND athletics (I have in mind an alum who is concerned about his alma mater’s academic mission and likes sports, not billy-bob who roots for the aggies because he like the corps haircuts). What do those guys/gals have to say? Are they willing to let politically motivated/appointed leadership destroy what they are trying to build?

It does not really matter to me all that much as a Texas-Ex, but as a native Texan I feel like we owe our educationally-disadvantaged fellow Texans an opportunity to save face and save themselves from a move that they will regret for many years. Perhaps DD will offer an olive branch of some sort once the threat of no more elephant walks has fermented in the aggy psyche for a little longer.

I can tell you, MU does not bring the Kansas City or St. Louis markets with them. Kansas City thinks it is in Kansas, and St. Louis is a baseball town with little interest in college football.

a South Austin carriage.

Dude is an icon.

It’s not like he thought it was realistic. Be nice.

aggy might as well realize that it’s in the best interest of their fans to be in a central location such as Austin.

Maybe the specific divisions would be different, but that can be finessed. BYU is already talking Big 12. TCU can’t possibly be happy with the limbo the Big East is in, and the geography is better. AQ conference status has to be tempting to Boise State, and if they didn’t take the chance, how much credibility would people give their claims that they deserve to be treated as an important program? It’s not like the Big 12 is really in a position to poach any major players from the Pac-12 or SEC or B1G that would stop them from taking the three.

The only thing that would stand in the way is if Texas and Oklahoma want to keep hoping and waiting for invitations to the Pac, instead of building up the Big 12. I’d go and build up the Big 12 anyway, though; you don’t lose bargaining position in the long run by being in a strong conference.

East as the Big Eight-Now-Six: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State.

it probably worked out well. Instead of OU or UT knocking the loser out of the BCS in the conference championship game, the loser has a chance to climb back up the polls in the regular season and take an at-large berth.

Also, with the teams currently contemplated, the CCG would almost always be a rematch between OU and UT if each team was in a separate division. That would get old. Allowing the second tier a shot at the title every year allows a team other than UT or OU to get some media run.

You were much more tactful & succinct than about 95% would have been. You were rec’d by me!

But let me defend my post a little (as I was only echoing the two previous posters “a little”). First, calling Dodds a dumbass was a bit of hyperbole. I know he’s not a dumbass – he’s a bright guy. But like a lot of CEOs he let overconfidence and enthusiasm get his organization way out in front of his ability to control the situation – at least by all appearances at this point. (Yes, there are arguments to the contrary, but none of the “Big Cigar” talk has held water to this point).
Now rather than express some humility and say “boy we had this great opportunity, we didn’t realize people would get so worked up about it, but we’re really willing to work it out so that we’re all winners.” Instead he escalates is commitment to his previous position, essentially saying “Yeah, we’d like to keep everybody together, but in the end, ya’ll can go to hell, we’re Texas.” (again, this is a little hyperbole, but how it comes across to A&M, OU, and other schools’ fans, and more importantly, their boards of regents; I’d hardly say it’s “ridiculous” as someone else put it).
Second, you’re making a mistake in saying my argument about giving CEOs too much credit and blame for outcomes is inconsistent with some of my criticisms of Dodd. With the exception of basketball, I was talking about his behavior, not his outcomes. Two bad hires, one good hire in football. And yes, I still believe Dodds could have pushed Mack to move Greg Davis along in 2001 – after watching 2000 TX/OU and the 2001 Big 12 Championship disaster (when we blew yeat another shot at the national title!), the writing was on the wall – well before someone convinvced them to rework the offense to suit a superstar. If the notion that canning Davis in 2001 is laughable, well my guess is that sites like this one wouldn’t last long because that was half their content over the last couple of years. Seriously, we could have moonwalked in the 2001 Big 12 Championship and won the game.
In terms of our basketball program, the national perception is that we are one and two and done in the tournament. I read the same article you did. I understand there are counterarguments, but its not the only valid empirical argument. If you look at the number of guys we’ve put in the NBA, we’ve underachived. Being a freshman didn’t stop Melo from winning. I am not sure how some petulant fans relate at all to any of the points I raised. (For the record I never booed Chris Simms and sat through literally every minute of the 2000 TX-OU game… and the 1991 Cotton Bowl… ugh… no booing).
I think we actually agree on the risk assessment but are emphasizing different points. You put a lot of faith in the powers that be that they saw all tis coming and have a plan. I believe they did some sort of risk assessment. But I don’t think they really anticipated the whole thing unraveling as it has, and they seem unprepared to respond in a politically savvy way.
Hell, there’s a proud Texan part of me that loves this stuff.. there’s a more experienced, time wisened professional who has to work with politicians and big-timers who gets worried as hell when people start ditching institutions that have treated us pretty well. I don’t want to see us go the way of Notre Dame. If that’s worthy of ridicule… well, then OK I guess.