All the Big 12-2 Conference news that is and isn't fit to read...
And some other stuff.
Mack Brown wants to hit the reset button. [Sports Illustrated]
So Brown pressed the reset button. On Dec. 6, 11 days after Texas A&M came to Austin and beat Texas 24-17 -- ensuring the 'Horns would not be bowl eligible -- offensive coordinator Greg Davis, offensive line coach Mac McWhorter and defensive tackles coach Mike Tolleson retired. The coaches, who had 112 years of experience among them, didn't choose the gold watch treatment. Six days later, Florida hired away defensive coordinator/coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp. Brown didn't anticipate this, and he didn't want to lose Muschamp, but the move may have benefited both. Muschamp was ready to become a head coach and Brown wasn't ready to retire. So Muschamp got to lead his own program, while Brown could extend his staff makeover and simultaneously shed a coach-in-waiting arrangement that had turned into the burnt-orange elephant in the room. "There was more talk about when I would quit and when Will would take over than there was about turnover ratio," Brown said. "That's not healthy."
It always helps to bring in some new ideas. [San Angelo Standard-Times]
"The transition's been fun for me because there are a lot of new ideas," Brown said. "When you have a lot of the same staff for 13 years — we didn't change a staff member for the last three — if you're not careful, you get into ruts where you do the same things because they're working."
Will Mack Brown's rosters may contain less Texans from now on? [Abilene Reporter]
Although University of Texas football coach Mack Brown will continue to recruit mostly Texas high school athletes, that could change in the future since most of his recruiters are assistants from non-Big 12 Conference schools who brought names of players with them.
Of the first 16 players to commit for next year's signing list, only quarterback Conner Brewer from Paradise Valley, Ariz., is not a Texan. But three linemen, among the reportedly best in the nation, are on the Longhorns' radar. Other top prospects are due to visit this summer.
At least the Cyclones don't hate Texas. [Go Cyclones]
Texas is really pushing the network. [Houston Chronicle]
A Land Thief ruminates on the Longhorn Network.
Baseball is not coming back to Ames, [Des Moines Register]
"Unfortunately we are not in a position to bring back baseball, or any other sport, at this point in time," Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said last week. "The financial cost to do so simply is not realistic for our institution."
It is time to start thinking about the 2011 football season. [Athlon Sports]
Oklahoma did in 2010 what it always seems to do — win the Big 12 championship, a record seventh title in the relatively brief annals of the conference. And with starters returning seemingly everywhere and Nebraska gone and Texas down and few real road tests on the schedule, it’s easy to peg the Sooners as the league favorites yet again in 2011. Not that it’s going to be easy. Contenders are in place and the Longhorns can’t be that bad again … can they? Still, with Landry Jones at quarterback and Ryan Broyles leading a rising group of receivers and Travis Lewis spearheading another stout defense, the Sooners wear the favorite’s tag — again.
Will OU's Brandon Williams replace DeMarco Murray? [Fox Sports]
Well he's got great power and strength. He's very tough, very competitive. He's got everything you look for. It's just going to be a matter of getting him to understand everything we're doing, and to take care of the football. Those are the things we working on with him. He has a chance to be pretty special.
Who are the Big 12-2's best offensive coaches? [Columbia Daily Tribune]
Meet Todd Monken, OSU's new offensive coordinator. [NewsOK]
OSU's rise from football mediocrity started with Les Miles. [American Chronicle]
Mike Gundy, he's not only 40, but smart. [NewsOK]
Holgorsen didn't seem to completely mesh with the Cowboy staff, but you can't argue with the results. In retrospect, Gundy deserves an A-plus for his handling of Holgorsen.
Recognizing the offensive possibilities. Navigating the potential staff problems. Keeping Holgorsen's carousing a non-issue.
Gundy never seemed intent on Holgorsen being a long-term addition, and now we see why. Holgorsen was an excellent coach with ambition and a self-destructive streak. That's got one-year wonder written all over it.
Gary Pinkel is loyal. [Columbia Daily Tribune]
Tommy Tuberville and Texas Tech have a relationship with Under Armour. [Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]
How did a synthetic sportswear brand less than 15 years in the making find such a niche in West Texas, where its top rival, cotton, truly is king?
"I think it's become a social thing," said Tommy Tuberville, Tech's football coach and one of the first college coaches to distribute Under Armour products to his athletes. "If you're a Tech fan, you're also an Under Armour fan."
The Big 12-2 isn't going away. [Tulsa World]
The economy isn't hurting Baylor athletics. [Baylor Bears]
BCS executive director Bill Hancock will meet with Department of Justice officials. [CBS Sports]
The NCAA actually has a new rule where players must pass or they can't play. [Muskogee Phoenix]
Football players in the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision must pass nine credit hours each fall or be suspended for the first four games of the following season.
Mark your calendar. The BCS bowl schedule is out. [Associated Press]
More college football programs are making money. [ESPN]
The latest NCAA annual report on revenue and expenses shows that 22 Football Bowl Subdivision schools made money in 2009-10, eight more than the previous year, and that schools in both Division I football subdivisions have figured out how to halt a rapid increase in expenses.
All about Barry Switzer. [Voices of Oklahoma]
Kentucky had an oops. [ESPN]
It turns out Kentucky coach John Calipari hasn't reached 500 career victories after all.
The school says it will change Calipari's career record because of 42 vacated victories from his time at Memphis and Massachusetts. In a statement, Kentucky said it had consulted with the NCAA and determined it was "in error" to have celebrated Calipari's 500th career win against Florida on Feb. 26.
The NCAA thinks really, really hard before they take away victories. [NCAA Bylaw Blog]
No NCAA penalty inspires more philosophical and practical debate than the vacating of victories.
God wanted Gene Chizik in Auburn. [Go Cyclones]
"Make no mistake; I was humbled by Auburn’s decision. And I knew this had to be a God appointment because this whole thing just didn’t make sense otherwise. I knew God had to be behind opening this door — there was no other way it would have been opened," Chizik said in the book.
And finally...
Farmers Insurance is donating $1,000 to charity for every 100,000 views. Watch it and share. [NewsOK]
BDR doesn't endorse any of the rubbish that is out there, we just link to it. Some stories don't make it in but they are news worthy, so I tweet them. Join me, if you want more BDR.