Don't mess with the game.
Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe, speaking today during the league’s football media days, said the new-look Big 12 (with 10 teams) shouldn’t affect the OU-Texas game.
Beebe said the conference likely will move a regular-season game or two to the first Saturday of December to fill the void of the lost conference championship game. But he said OU-Texas shouldn’t be one of them.
UT's quest for money just never stops.
The University of Texas has signed a six-year deal with Dallas-based Branded Retail Energy, which will likely be the first of a number of deals with the company that will see some of the country’s most powerful collegiate sports brands sell consumers electricity and natural gas in deregulated markets. Consequently, Texas Longhorns Energy will be available to consumers in mid-August.
The electricity will be supplied by Champion Energy Services and is being touted as 100 percent renewable energy to alumni and fans in deregulated regions of Texas. Every new account will generate funds for the University of Texas and consumers will receive Longhorns merchandise, memorabilia, access to events, ticket discounts and other benefits as incentives, including likely co-promotions with other UT sponsors.
No more cupcakes?
Texas coach Mack Brown said Monday that not only is he in favor of the 10-team Big 12 Conference playing a full round-robin schedule (as does the Pac-10), but that the Longhorns have begun reaching out to other marquee teams to find at least one difficult non-conference game every season. That's even more impressive given that Texas will be playing only three non-leagues per year, not four.
Mack Brown is a devious man.
Big 12 Media Days started yesterday afternoon. But if you tuned in to ESPN yesterday expecting to hear anything about the Big 12, that was a waste of time. The four-letter sports leader didn't much discuss the Big 12. They were a bit too occupied talking with Texas Head Coach Mack Brown. It was a very shrewd media move by the Longhorn leadership.
Barking Carnival reviews Mondays with Mack.
Mack Brown’s ESPN charm offensive started early and it never relented. Similar to the Mike Sherman guest host spot during the Lawrence Welk marathon on College Station Public Access television back in May.
Except Brown didn’t nap on camera and gorge himself on eclairs.
The Bears have a goal.
Iowa State is still celebrating.
Poor Nebraska. Everyone hates the Cornhuskers.
Nebraska players are preparing for the worst during their final Big 12 road trips to Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Texas A&M. Hostile crowds, plenty of colorful language.
"I'm pretty sure we are going to hear different things said to us," Nebraska receiver Niles Paul said. "It's just a process you go through, it's up to us to block it out."
Said teammate Pierre Allen: "People hate us on the road, to be honest. I don't know if it is because Nebraska, back in the day, was so dominant, I don't know but people hate us."
(Even that mean, old Bill Snyder was out to get Pelini a few years ago.)
It is tough when you are no longer the prettiest girl in school.
Nebraska was used to having its way in the old Big Eight. It usually played Oklahoma for the Orange Bowl berth each year and that was that. Everything else was details.
But things changed when Texas came in the room back in the mid-1990s and declared that the new Big 12 would not allow partial qualifiers. That's where it started for Nebraska. Osborne had built part of his empire on kids who just needed a chance. They didn't have either the minimum grade-point average or high enough SAT test score. They could achieve initial eligibility with one or other but they were labeled. Prop 48s they called them, a nickname derived from the NCAA legislation.
"I was on the [Big 12] task force," said former Iowa State AD Gene Smith, now with Ohio State. "I'll never forget when [Texas] came in the room.
"Texas would not come into the league unless we eliminated the Prop 48 deal. Nebraska lived on it. Oh my God, it was like heat across the board. The animosity started back then."
Bo Pelini doesn't know anything about that Red Out video.
"I didn't like the message it sent to our football team. That's way down the road and we have a lot of things to do before we worry about that football game," Pelini said at the Big 12 media days. "It was regrettable. It came as surprise to me. I didn't know much about it because it came from the marketing department."
And the players aren't thinking about that UT game at all.
Niles Paul, a receiver, said he hadn't seen the "Red Out" video, and didn't know much about it. Of course, he wore a red wristband that read "0:01" and "Finish."
And he's quoted in The Sporting News' college football preview as saying players found fliers reading ":01" in their lockers during spring practice.
Defensive tackle Jared Crick said he hadn't heard about the video until someone mentioned it on the flight to Dallas. When asked about the fliers, defensive end Pierre Allen said with a smile, "I can't really remember back that that far."
More than 40,000 folks have viewed the video without "Beat Texas," but no one on the Nebraska football team knows anything about it.
Nebraska has no one to blame.
Nebraska hasn't been Nebraska for a while now, just a shell of itself since the three-title '90s, when Tom Osborne treated Florida like Nick Saban would an NFL agent. Nebraska hasn't beaten a team ranked higher than No. 20 since late 2001. It's 0-9 against Top 10 teams since 2005. It almost never beats Texas (1-8 since the Big 12's formation), even though it may do that this October, because of a strong defense and a terrific run game.
Tommy Tuberville is talking again.
"I’ve been spanked," Tuberville said with a laugh. "The thing about that, I’m glad we’re at least holding together because I came into this league, I like all the coaches and there are some great programs. I just hate we lost two teams. But, it’ll work out for the best. You know, there’s been a lot of negotiations about scheduling. I think it’s going to be good; I just hate that we lose a championship game. Some people say, ‘Well, you’ve got a better chance in making the national championship game.’ I’m not sure of that. I think a lot of people hold that against you when you don’t play that extra game in terms of voting."
There will be no quarterback drama in Lubbock this year.
You know you have been waiting for this. The Commish speaks.
Best wishes go out to Sergio Kindle for a speedy recovery.
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