Weak Saturday for the Big 12
Here’s what I did Saturday. I watched college football and took care of a sick wife and watched college football and played with my granddaughter and watched college football. I missed a little of the 12-hour marathon of games, due to domestic duties, but not much.
So I’m an expert on the entertainment value of Saturday. And here’s what I say. The Big 12 offered none.
The prime-time TV slot offered three intriguing and competitive games. LSU-Auburn. Florida State-Wake Forest. Georgia-Arizona State. Meanwhile, Fox Sports Net had Texas-Rice. Only Orangebloods could have been watching UT-Rice, and maybe not even all of them.
In the 2:30 time slot, at least the Big 12 offering, Miami at Texas A&M, had a chance to be competitive. It wasn’t — A&M rolled – but at least it had a chance to be. Still, except for Aggie fans, even this part of the country migrated to Florida-Tennessee or Michigan State-Notre Dame or Arizona-UCLA.
Now, in fairness to the Big 12, three decent games were moved to earlier in the week and shown on ESPN: Kansas State at Louisville, West Virginia at Colorado and Baylor at Connecticut.
But there were two clear lessons Saturday. The Big 12, like every other league this side of the Pac-10, needs to improve its non-conference scheduling. And until then, the Big 12 needs to schedule conference games in September.
It’s happened on occasion. The OSU-Texas Tech barnburner, won 49-45 by the Cowboys, came last September. OSU-Nebraska opened the season in 2003. OSU-Kansas opened the season in 1998. There have been others.
But not consistently. Not weekly. And it needs to happen. Coaches won’t like it. Athletic directors won’t push for it. And the historically weak Big 12 office won’t demand it.
But what the conference needs is leadership that will stand up to the individual schools and therefore stand up for the schools as a whole. Leadership that requires better schedules and moves conference games into September.
The Big 12 has set its conference schedule through 2015, and the only September games are on Sept. 29, 2012, when three league games are set.
Many of us have been critical of the Big 12’s football television package over the years, decrying the lack of ESPN coverage, a problem partially rectified, and the lack of a national TV slot.
But in defense of the conference office, it’s been negotiating with a short stick. Compared to the Big Ten, SEC and Pac-10, the Big 12 already has a shortage of television sets in its territory.
But in the month of September, while the SEC, Pac-10 and ACC schedule conference games that break up the litany of mismatches, the Big 12 often surrenders the spotlight.
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