Big 12 expansion: Answering questions after DeLoss Dodds speaks
Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds spoke at the Lufkin, Texas, chamber of commerce meeting last Friday and talked a little about conference realignment.
Dodds actually said a lot of interesting stuff. You can read the story here. Here’s the part about Big 12 expansion: “Dodds also mentioned that future Big 12 expansion could target Louisville and Brigham Young University. Dodds said that his personal choice would be Notre Dame, and that he is working hard to garner that addition.”
Like I said, interesting. I got an email from a Brigham Young graduate – who lives in Michigan, of all places – who asked a series of excellent questions. I thought I would try to answer them.
Are talks starting back up in earnest between BYU and the Big 12, or is this just idle banter by Dodds?
My guess is idle banter. I don’t sense much momentum for BYU. I think the addition of West Virginia makes the Big 12 much more likely to look East than West.
If talks are heating up, is there a feeling towards how serious the Big 12 and BYU are feeling, respectively, about each other?
The question of BYU’s seriousness is interesting. I was a big proponent of BYU last summer, but then I heard from all kinds of BYU people about how pleased the Cougars are with independence and how they wouldn’t join the Big 12 unless the terms were just right. I think that makes BYU a longshot. I think the Big 12 enjoyed the jubilation we saw in Fort Worth and Morgantown over TCU and West Virginia joining the conference. I don’t think the Big 12 wants someone who is lukewarm about the conference.
Will a new commissioner make much of a difference in expansion plans or are the schools going to take the lead on that decision?
Schools. The Big 12 – and the Big Eight before it – always has been a weak-commissioner conference. I don’t mean they’ve hired weak men, I mean the office is weak. In the Big Ten and the SEC and now the Pac-12, the commissioners rule with a great deal of power. That’s not been the case in the Big 12 or the Big Eight for at least 30 years and maybe before that. So I don’t think a new commissioner will have a huge impact on expansion decisions. Rather than hiring a commissioner to tell the Big 12 what to do, I think it’s more likely the Big 12 tells prospective candidates what it wants, then hires someone who expresses the ability to get the job done.
What is the timing on a new Big XII media deal?
The Big 12 last summer forged the 13-year deal with Fox Sports that will pay about $90 million a year. The Big 12′s contract with ABC/ESPN for over-air telecasts goes into summer 2016 and pays about $65 million a year. But that could be renegotiated before 2016.
Are the networks pushing for 12 (or more) teams and a conference championship?
Great question on the networks. I don’t know. But my guess is that the networks are focused not so much on how many, but who? I know that the networks were the champions of West Virginia’s addition. West Virginia brought an excellent profile to Big 12 football telecasts. So anyone of that stature would be enticing to the networks. Someone like BYU, probably yes. Someone like Louisville, probably no.
Are Oklahoma and Texas (or other schools) fighting that push for 12 and a conference title game?
Somewhat. Texas, for example, does not want a title game. And the Longhorns aren’t the only ones. OU, I would say, is either way on the title game but is more gung-ho about expansion. OSU, probably in the same boat. I think the Old North Three (KU, K-State, Iowa State) would like to get back to the 12-team format, since their teams would have a better shot at a Big 12 championship under that scenario.
Is media pressure the only way the Big XII goes to 12 (or more) teams?
No. Heck no. I mean, Texas is probably the school least excited about expansion, but as Dodds himself said, there are potential targets out there.
Does Dodds think there realistically is a chance to pry away Notre Dame from the Big East now that the Big East seems to be on the ropes a bit or at least seems to be watering down their non-football sports a bit?
Sounds like it. But people at OU are pessimistic that Notre Dame would do something. I think Notre Dame as a full-fledged member has no chance. Notre Dame as an auxiliary member, fully functional in all sports except football, with a scheduling agreement for football? Maybe that would have a chance if the Big East continues to flounder. Notre Dame’s teams need a place that makes a little sense. But I wouldn’t hold your breath.
Would Notre Dame to the Big 12 kill BYU’s shot?
Wouldn’t help. Wouldn’t help at all. If somehow Notre Dame came aboard, and the Big 12 added another school, I would think the eastward trend would hold. If you’ve got Notre Dame and Louisville and West Virginia, then all of a sudden the disconnect with Middle America isn’t so severe.
If BYU were to go to the Big 12, would there be times that BYU fans would be unable to view the games (or have to purchase a premium regional sports pack)? If so how often?
No. Every football game would be available on one of the Big 12 networks (ABC, ESPN, Fox, etc.) or would be free for BYU to telecast however it sees fit, which I assume would be BYUTV. In basketball, same way.
Is BYUTV (or BYU’s ESPN deal for that matter) problematic because it looks a lot like the Longhorn Network?
BYUTV is no problem at all. In fact, that probably would help the transition, because the Big 12 has a school with something similar. But the BYU/ESPN deal would have to go the way of the wind for the Cougars to be admitted to the conference. The Big 12 would not accept BYU’s ESPN deal. BYU’s games would be served up via the Big 12 contracts, unless it’s one of the rumdum games that the networks don’t want. BYU could keep one (or conceivably two) game for itself to distribute, but it would have to be an undesirable game to the networks.
Would BYU’s uniqueness/idiosyncrasies make for a difficult relationship in the Big 12 long term?
Sounds like it to me. People in the Mountain West have horror stories about dealing with BYU.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Oklahoma football: Castiglione likes the job he’s got
The search for a permanent Big 12 commissioner is beginning. Do not expect Joe Castiglione to be a candidate.
The OU athletic director has been mentioned as a candidate to replace Chuck Neinas, when the interim commissioner steps down, probably at the end of this school year. And it’s not the first time Joe C. has been mentioned. He’s well-respected, he’s been in the conference (Big Eight included) as an AD for 19 years and has been on the campus of Missouri or OU for 30 years.
One sign of Castiglione’s status: He was named to the prestigious NCAA basketball committee, replacing ousted Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe.
But Castiglione told me this week he’s not interested in the commissioner’s job. Maybe some day, he said. But not now. He likes the job he has. He also likes the type of job he has.
Joe C. said the best part of his job is the regular interaction with student-athletes and their events. Feeling a part of their success and cheering them on to victory. Castiglione said there is something invigorating about working on a college campus, in any endeavor. Plus, his sons are still in school, the oldest just entering high school.
The Big 12 commissioner job will be interesting. Challenging, engaging, gratifying, if done well. It’s a hairy time for the Big 12, but lead the league through these rocky waters, and the new commissioner would be a hero, or as much of a hero as an administrator can do.
But truthfully, the athletic director at Oklahoma can be a part of that process, too. The athletic director at OU will have a decent say in the direction of the league. And gets to go to ballgames several times a week and support kids he knows. And gets to go to work every day on a college campus. And gets to raise his family in a town they love and in the only home the boys have ever known.
Don’t look for Joe C. to become a Big 12 candidate.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
University of Tulsa football: Will the Hurricane’s conference change?
Has the Big East finished its plundering of the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA? According to ESPN, Big East commissioner John Marinatto says his league is finished after taking San Diego State and Boise State from the Mountain West, and Central Florida, SMU, Houston and now Memphis.
So now Conference USA and the Mountain West, which had been talking about a loose confederation anyway, are talking full-fledged merger. Which is probably the best alternative for the beleaguered leagues. But not necessarily the best thing for the University of Tulsa.
Here are the remaining schools in Conference USA: Tulsa, Southern Miss, Texas-El Paso, Rice, Tulane, East Carolina, Alabama-Birmingham and Marshall.
Here are the remaining schools in the Mountain West: Nevada, Fresno State, Nevada-Las Vegas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado State, Air Force and, for football only, Hawaii.
Conference USA would be an apt name for such a 16-team league. Five time zones represented.
Tulsa would be in the geographic center of such a conference. Generally speaking, being in the geographic center of a conference is a good thing. Not this time.
The conference is too wide spread. Tulsa’s closest conference member would be Rice, 500 miles away in Houston. The Hurricane would be without its other recent neighbors. Houston U., SMU and Memphis.
After Rice, the closest conference members are Southern Miss (621 miles), UAB (636 miles), New Mexico (650 mileS), Air Force (677 miles), Tulane (700 miles) and UTEP (800 miles).
That’s a killer travel conference.
And check out a few other mid-major conferences:
Western Athletic: Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State and Utah State, with Denver, Texas-San Antonio, Texas State, Texas-Arlington and Seattle joining soon. Denver, UTA and Seattle don’t play football.
Sun Belt: Arkansas State, Troy, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Arkansas-Little Rock, South Alabama, Troy and Western Kentucky. UALR and South Alabama don’t play football.
Think about that. The state of Louisiana alone has mid-majors in three conferences: the WAC, Conference USA and the Sun Belt. The state of Texas has mid-majors in the same three conferences.
Isn’t it about time we had some conference realignment based on geography? I know, there’s a world of difference between Tulsa and New Mexico State, in terms of commitment to football. Between Tulsa and Texas State.
But wouldn’t it make a lot more sense for TU to be in a league with Arkansas State and North Texas and Louisiana Tech, than in a league with Marshall and East Carolina and San Jose State?
An Oklahoma/Texas/Arkansas/Louisiana league — heck, include Southern Miss, too — would be a decent football conference. Tulsa, North Texas, Texas-San Antonio (which just finished its first year of football), Texas State, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Tulane and Arkansas State.
That’s not like the 1990s, when Tulsa joined a revamped WAC that included the likes of Utah and Brigham Young. But it’s not half bad. And it makes a ton more sense economically.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Jim Thorpe Award: Les Miles back in town
It was good to see Les Miles on Tuesday night at the Jim Thorpe Award. He told our gal Jenni Carlson that he hasn’t been back often since leaving OSU for LSU seven years ago. But as reminded the crowd in attendance at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum of what occurred while he was in Stillwater from 1995-97 and 2001-04.
The Oklahoma City bombing. 9/11. The OSU plane crash. A lot of tragic events that defined us as Oklahomans and Americans.
Miles was scheduled to be in OKC for the Thorpe Award last February, to honor LSU’s Patrick Peterson, but Miles’ son’s emergency appendectomy the day of the banquet kept Miles home in Baton Rouge, La. So he got a 2-for-1 trip this year, since another LSU player, Morris Claiborne, won the 2011 Thorpe.
Miles joked that he was given three minutes to talk about Claiborne, but he would take six, since Miles didn’t get to talk last year. Peterson was at the banquet and presented the trophy to Claiborne.
Miles said Peterson and Claiborne left their marks on the LSU program.
“Patrick Peterson (an NFL rookie sensation with the Arizona Cardinals) played with a smile,” Miles said. “Worked hard. Prepared hard. What he left was a swagger. Put in the work in the film room and the practice field, then take the field with confidence, and you are a dangerous player.”
Miles said Claiborne’s character would be remembered at LSU. Miles said Claiborne wasn’t highly-recruited, but that Miles sat in Claiborne’s home in Shreveport, La., “telling him this day might come. You could tell, his mother had prepared him for that path.”
Miles marveled at Claiborne’s demeanor upon arrival at LSU. Claiborne was asked what position he wanted to play. “What position do you need me,” Claiborne responded. Cornerback, he was told.
“Mo, he did everything you would ask a player to do, to stand for all the right things,” Miles said. He said Claiborne “represents everything that is good and right in college football … a humbleness, a patience to learn the right skills, then repeat it, repeat it, repeat it.
“Both these men had great impacts. I have to say, thank you, I am very much in in their debt.”
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Eli Manning: NFL’s greatest quarterback in playoff road games
Eli Manning now has two Super Bowl titles. That’s impressive. Not many quarterbacks have multiple Super Bowl titles. Let’s see. Bart Starr, Bob Griese, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw, Jim Plunkett, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, John Elway, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger. And now Manning.
Impressive. But this is more impressive. Eli Manning now has five road victories in the NFL playoffs. Not many NFL quarterbacks have five road playoff wins. As in none, other than Peyton’s little brother.
Manning’s NFC Championship Game win at Green Bay raised his playoff road record to 5-1. That’s not counting the neutral-field Super Bowls. That’s road games. That’s games in unfriendly environs, which are incredibly hard to win.
Johnny Unitas, Kurt Warner, Doug Williams, Bobby Layne and Jeff Hostetler all were NFL champion quarterbacks. They combined for five road playoff wins. The same as Eli Manning all by his lonesome.
Steve Young, Y.A. Tittle and Norm Van Brocklin all are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Combined, they were 0-7 in playoff road games.
Peyton Manning and Joe Montana are on virtually everyone’s list of the top five quarterbacks in NFL history. They each went 2-5 in playoff road games.
Troy Aikman, Bob Griese, Jim Kelly, Warren Moon and Dan Marino are in the Hall of Fame, too. They reached a combined 11 Super Bowls, winning five. Their combined playoff road record: 5-19.
Eli Manning’s career playoff road record: 5-1.
We can do this by decade.
2000s: Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Matt Hasselbeck and Philip Rivers, a combined playoff road record of 1-10 (Rivers has the win).
1990s: Vinny Testaverde, Kerry Collins, Drew Bledsoe, Neil O’Donnell and Jeff Garcia, a combined playoff road record of 1-11 (Bledsoe has the win).
1980s: Bernie Kosar, Boomer Esiason, Ken O’Brien, Danny White and Ron Jaworski, a combined playoff road record of 1-11 (White has the win).
1970s: Billy Kilmer, Ken Anderson, Steve Bartkowski, Jim Hart, Bert Jones and Fran Tarkenton, a combined playoff road record of 1-12 (Tarkenton has the win).
1960s: Daryle Lamonica, Don Meredith, Roman Gabriel, Frank Ryan, Joe Namath, Sonny Jurgensen, John Hadl and Milt Plum, a combined playoff road record of 0-13.
In this era, with extra rounds of playoffs, quarterbacks get more opportunities at road playoff games. But they’re still tough to win. They also get more opportunities at road playoff defeats.
But Eli Manning’s only playoff road loss was 23-20 at Philadelphia, back in the 2006 playoffs, the year before the Giants won Super Bowl 42.
Only 18 quarterbacks in NFL history have a winning record in road playoff games.
Some are Hall of Famers: Len Dawson (4-1), Roger Staubach (4-1), John Elway (3-2) and Bart Starr (2-1).
Some are headed to the Hall of Fame: Tom Brady (3-2).
Some could be headed to the Hall of Fame: Eli Manning (5-1), Ben Roethlisberger (3-1), Aaron Rodgers (3-1).
Some were tough old birds: Jake Delhomme (4-1), Earl Morrall (3-1), Steve McNair (3-2), Jim Plunkett (2-1), Richard Todd (2-1).
Some are inexplicable: Mark Sanchez (4-2), Tony Eason (3-1), Vince Ferragamo (3-2), Trent Dilfer (2-1), Chris Chandler (1-0).
Here are the all-time playoff road records of the top 150 or so quarterbacks in NFL history:
5-1: Eli Manning.
4-1: Len Dawson, Jake Delhomme, Roger Staubach.
4-2: Mark Sanchez.
4-4: Joe Flacco.
3-1: Aaron Rodgers, Tony Eason, Earl Morrall, Ben Roethlisberger.
3-2: Tom Brady, John Elway, Vince Ferragamo, Steve McNair.
3-4: Mark Brunell, Donovan McNabb.
3-7: Brett Favre.
2-1: Trent Dilfer, Jim Plunkett, Bart Starr, Richard Todd.
2-2: Dan Fouts, Otto Graham, Jim Harbaugh, Craig Morton, Dan Pastorini, Jay Schroeder.
2-3: Terry Bradshaw, Jim Everett, Mark Rypien.
2-4: Randall Cunningham.
2-5: Peyton Manning, Joe Montana.
1-0: Chris Chandler.
1-1: Steve Beuerlein, George Blanda, Bubby Brister, John Brodie, Marc Bulger, Elvis Grbac, Pat Haden, Jeff Hostetler, Stan Humphries, Jack Kemp, Bobby Layne, Chris Miller, Bill Nelsen, Babe Parilli, Tobin Rote, Fran Tarkenton, Jim Zorn.
1-2: Drew Bledsoe, Duante Culpepper, Rich Gannon, Tommy Kramer, Philip Rivers, Johnny Unitas, Michael Vick, Kurt Warner, Doug Williams.
1-3: Troy Aikman, Joe Ferguson, Bob Griese, Brad Johnson, Jim Kelly, Jake Plummer, Phil Simms.
1-4: Ken Stabler, Warren Moon, Danny White.
1-6: Dave Krieg, Dan Marino.
0-1: Aaron Brooks, Ty Detmer, Boomer Esiason, Doug Flutie, Trent Green, John Hadl, James Harris, Rob Johnson, Bert Jones, Joe Kapp, Byron Leftwich, Ken O’Brien, Neil O’Donnell, Marc Wilson, Andy Dalton, Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan, Tim Tebow, T.J. Yates.
0-0: Sonny Jurgensen, Joe Namath.
0-2: Ken Anderson, Steve Bartkowski, Pete Beathard, Kerry Collins, Charlie Conerly, Gus Frerotte, Roman Gabriel, Jeff George, Steve Grogan, Jim Hart, Ron Jaworski, Scott Mitchell, Milt Plum, Frank Ryan, Y.A. Tittle, Norm Van Brocklin.
0-3: Steve DeBerg, Jeff Garcia, Bernie Kosar, Daryle Lamonica, Don Meredith, Vinny Testaverde, Steve Young, Drew Brees.
0-4: Matt Hasselbeck, Billy Kilmer.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
College basketball: Shooting itself in the foot
The listed attendance for the Oklahoma-Missouri basketball game Monday night was 5,036. That kind of attendance malaise has OU officials — and officials at many a college basketball port — worrying how to restore fan interest in a sport that has staggered.
Here’s an idea. Quit doing things that invite fans to stay home.
The OU-Missouri game started at 6 p.m. on a Monday. Just like I wrote a few weeks ago about Bedlam starting at 6 p.m. on a weekday, that’s an asinine starting time. Made for television, of course (wait; it’s not television, it’s ESPN. It’s a made-for-ESPN tip time).
The Big 12 scheduled nine conference games for 6 p.m.: Texas A&M at Baylor, Bedlam and Mizzou at OU already have been played. Still to come are Iowa State at OSU (Tuesday night), A&M at Texas Tech, Kansas at Baylor on Wednesday night, Iowa State at Baylor next week, followed by Kansas State at Missouri and Kansas State at Texas A&M. And that doesn’t include a Missouri-at-OSU 6:30 p.m. start.
6 p.m. weeknight starts in Norman or Stillwater (or College Station or Austin or Ames or Columbia or anywhere else) are not easy for fans. If you live in Edmond, trying to get to Norman or Stillwater by 5:45 p.m. is difficult. You’re rushing, you’re hitting rush hour traffic, it’s a mess. Same with the folks in Tulsa. If you live in Norman or Stillwater, it’s easier, but still not easy.
Big 12 officials erred in allowing 6 p.m. starts, just so games could be placed on ESPNU or ESPN2. All the games are going to be on regional or local television anyway, no matter when they start. So the concession was for national broadcasts. Let me assure you. No one nationally is watching Oklahoma-Missouri or Oklahoma State-Iowa State. The fans in Riverside, Calif., or Grand Rapids, Mich., or Richmond, Va., are watching something else. Now, Baylor-Kansas on Wednesday is different. Which brings up another question. Why are you playing one of your games of the year at 6 p.m., even for television purposes?
OK, let’s move on.
This basketball season, OU and OSU collectively have played Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Saint Louis, Virginia Tech twice, Arkansas, New Mexico, Alabama, Tulsa, SMU, Santa Clara, Washington State and Missouri State. Not a bad list of opponents. Not great, but not bad.
Fourteen non-conference games that you might be interested in watching.
Of those 14, three were played in either Norman or Stillwater. OSU hosted Virginia Tech and Tulsa, OU hosted Arkansas. The rest were road games (but just four) or neutral site games (seven).
We want to get fans interested in college basketball, to the point they will want to be at as many games as possible, and yet before conference play, the best games are played nowhere near campus.
So let me get this straight. You play at times completely inconvenient for fans. You play games in the early season that are completely uninteresting. Then you wonder why fans haven’t migrated to your team.
The answer is clear. College basketball in general, Big 12 basketball in particular, does not really care about the ticket-buying fans. Officials at every school like to talk about it. They like to talk about ways to increase fan interest. But when it comes to really catering to customers, the truth is apparent. Fans are not a priority. Attendance is optional.
If the Big 12 really cared about the attendance issue, it would not schedule 6 p.m. starts.
If the sport really cared about the attendance issue, it wouldn’t sanction all these neutral-site tournaments that don’t count against a team’s scheduling allotment, which means an OSU-Stanford game isn’t played in Stillwater or Palo Alto, but in New York. Which means an OU-Saint Louis game isn’t played near the arches of the Norman campus or the big arch next to the Mississippi River, but in Anaheim, Calif.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Oklahoma football: Would Bob Stoops agree to another Florida State series?
Florida State’s phone call to OU, gauging the Sooners’ interest in another home-and-home football series, certainly is fun to think about. The Orlando Sentinel reported the inquiry in a story you can read here. Another Sooner-Seminole series? Just about every football fan in America would endorse it.
Florida State needs a home game, after West Virginia canceled out on the Seminoles. OU wouldn’t mind a road game, since the Sooners’ non-conference game at TCU has become a conference game, replacing OU at Texas A&M.
Under the scenario, OU would in 2012 play Notre Dame at Owen Field and Florida State at Doak Campbell Field. Then in 2013, OU would host FSU and play at Notre Dame Stadium. Then the Sooners would play a rumdum each season for their third and final non-conference game.
Tough schedule. Rugged, even. Heroic, considering the time in which we live.
But not terribly out of line from what OU was going to be playing anyway in 2012. Switching out a trip to Texas A&M for a trip to Florida State. I’d say those two programs have been about the same the last six, seven years. Big name, so-so game.
So for a school scrambling to fill out its schedule, which OU is, it makes some sense.
But it has virtually no chance of happening. It won’t get past the gatekeeper, Bob Stoops.
Stoops doesn’t seem interested in beefing up the schedule. I asked him last week about the possibility of playing Missouri or Texas A&M non-conference. Mizzou, in particular, is looking for non-conference opponents for 2012.
Stoops laughed that laugh that means, you’re crazy.
But also, Stoops would want no part of another matchup against his brother, Mark, Florida State’s defensive coordinator. Bob Stoops was downcast after a 47-17 rout of the Seminoles in Norman in 2010. He obviously wasn’t keen on beating his brother so bad.
Stoops was more upbeat in September 2011, when OU won 23-13 at Florida State. Mark Stoops’ defense was much better in defeat than the previous year.
But still. I don’t see Bob Stoops signing up for another Florida State series as long as Mark Stoops is there. Even if Bob Stoops was willing to take on another heavyweight.
And you know? I can’t blame him. Every family is different. Some brothers don’t seem to mind playing against each other, or at least don’t let it bother them publicly. But some do.
I’m reminded of some passages from Jay Wilkinson’s recent book about his dad, Bud Wilkinson. In Dear Jay, Love Dad, Jay Wilkinson publishes dozens of letters from his father while Jay was in college.
Jay Wilkinson became an all-American football player at Duke, which in the early 1960s was an Atlantic Coast Conference power.
Early in the 1962 season, it became apparent that an OU-Duke Orange Bowl was a possibility.
Bud Wilkinson’s letters to his son initially were hopeful of a father-son showdown.
Sept. 2, 1962: “Our squad looked in good shape at our meeting yesterday. We’ll soon know. I hope we can play well – and see you in the Orange Bowl…”
Sept. 11, 1962: “I hope your ball club is faring better with injuries than ours … I felt yesterday we’d meet you in the Orange Bowl – mainly because Tommy Pannell is such a great player. This morning in pass scrimmage, he broke his ankle…”
Almost 50 years later, Jay Wilkinson wrote that at the season’s midpoint, “the possibility still existed that Dad and I could share a common destiny in that season’s Orange Bowl. A bid to the game would represent the attainment of goals we were both working hard to achieve. But then it occurred to me, like a sudden movement witnessed out of the corner of one’s eye, how I would feel if placed in a spot where my success would mean my father’s failure. Suddenly, I was not so sure that would be a good thing.”
More from Bud Wilkinson.
Nov. 12, 1962: “I believe you can win the rest of them. 8 and 2 is a marvelous record. If we win Saturday I am a little sad that after such a fine season you may have to play against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl!”
It didn’t happen. Duke finished 8-2, but the Orange Bowl invited Alabama.
Jay Wilkinson wrote, “Deep down inside, I was relieved. As the season had progressed, I had grown less and less enthusiastic about a possible Oklahoma-Duke Orange Bowl matchup. I had no interest in working against my dad; it was one thing to kid about it – but I could not see myself competing against him and the tradition I admired, respected, and loved.”
If you want to argue that it’s different for a father and son, I can buy it. If you want to argue that it’s different when it’s not coach vs. coach, but coach vs. player, fine.
Different, yes. But not necessarily different result. It’s still not comfortable for all kinds of families. Still not something you want to do.
The Wilkinsons discovered that 50 years ago. Bob Stoops already knows it. Don’t look for him to agree on another series with Florida State.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
So long, football: The best games I saw in 2011
Great, great Super Bowl. But like every Super Bowl, good or bad, the final game carries a degree of sadness. No more football for six months. Total drag.
Anyway, my 34th football season is in the books. I covered 21 games in the 2011 season. And the best of the bunch had huge impacts on the sport nationally.
Here are the 10 best games I saw in the 2011 season:
1. Giants 37, Cowboys 34, Dec. 11: Dallas led 34-22 with a touchdown scored with 5:41 left in the game. The Cowboys were about to take control of the NFC East. Then Eli Manning took over. He drove the G-Men on TD drives of 80 and 60 yards to take the lead, then Tom Coughlin called timeout just as Dan Bailey was making a tying 47-yard field goal. Jason Pierre-Paul then blocked Bailey’s subsequent attempt, and New York had a wild victory. Three weeks later, the Giants beat Dallas in the Meadowlands for the East title, and now New York has another Super Bowl title.
2. OSU 41, Stanford 38, overtime, Jan. 2: Stanford led 14-0 in the second quarter, but OSU caught up quickly with the Brandon Weeden/Justin Blackmon show. The rest of the game was set – Stanford score, OSU score. The Cardinal had the ball last, but Jordan Williamson missed a 35-yard field goal try on the final play of regulation, then missed a 43-yarder on the first possession of overtime. That left the Cowboys in control, and Weeden’s strike to Colton Chelf carried the Cowboys into the end zone. Replay review returned the ball to the 1-yard line, so Quinn Sharp kicked a 22-yard field goal to win it.
3. Baylor 45, OU 38, Nov. 19: Not every season do you get to see a Heisman Trophy won. But anyone at Floyd Casey Stadium did, as Robert Griffin torched the Sooners early, OU made a spirited comeback to tie, then Griffin delivered the fatal blow in the final seconds.
4. OSU 30, Texas A&M 29, Sept. 24: The Cowboys trailed 20-3 at halftime, and OSU’s hoped-for special season seemed in jeopardy. But within 13 minutes, OSU had taken the lead. A wild fourth quarter kept the game in doubt, but James Thomas’ late interception turned back the final A&M rally.
5. OU 23, Florida State 13, Sept. 17: Seems like forever ago, but this was the game of the week, and it lived up to the billing. The Seminoles tied the game 13-13 in the fourth quarter, but Landry Jones’ touchdown pass to Kenny Stills gave the Sooners the lead with seven minutes left, then Javon Harris’ – yes, Javon Harris – interception set up the clinching field goal.
6. Lions 34, Cowboys 30, Oct. 2: Dallas led 27-3 three minutes into the second half, and Detroit looked like the same old Lions. Then Tony Romo threw two straight interceptions, both returned for touchdowns, and the Lions had hope. In the fourth quarter, Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes, including the game-winner to Calvin Johnson with 1:39 left, and the courses for two seasons were set. Dallas disappointment, and Detroit rise to the playoffs.
7. Iowa State 37, OSU 31, 2 OTs, Nov. 18: An historic game, ISU’s biggest upset ever. A nationally-prominent game, which knocked the Cowboys out of the Big Bowl. A sad game, played on the same day the Cowboys learned of another fatal OSU basketball plane crash. Not a well-played game, but suspenseful. The Cowboys blew a 24-7 lead, then Sharp’s late miss from 38 yards gave Iowa State life. After both teams scored overtime touchdowns, Weeden threw an interception, and the Cyclones stormed to victory.
8. Texas Tech 41, OU 38, Oct. 22: OU’s inefficiency was stunning. The Sooners had won 39 straight at home, but against the worst Tech team in at least a generation, OU fell behind 31-7. The Sooners made a game of it in the fourth quarter, but Tech held and confirmed for finality that something was amiss in Norman.
9. Cowboys 18, Redskins 16, Sept. 26: Dallas won it with six Dan Bailey field goals. JerryWorld, like Texas Stadium before it, is always tension-filled when the Cowboys are monkeying around with a game they should win.
10. OU 31, Iowa 14, Dec. 30: OK, so I didn’t cover 10 great games. I covered nine. Something has to be 10. This one was mostly boring, until Iowa scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to draw within 21-14. The Sooners didn’t put it away until the final 21/2 minutes.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Big 12 basketball: Weekly rankings
Time for the weekly Big 12 basketball rankings, based on the schedule you’ve played so far. And remember the plus/minus system. Plus for a road win, minus for a home loss. And you’ll be surprised at who is No. 1. Here are the rankings, along with each team’s remaining games against the big three of Baylor, KU and Mizzou:
1. Baylor 8-2 +4 (21-2). The Bears have played just four conference home games. They are 5-1 in Big 12 road games. Baylor hosts Kansas and goes to Missouri, both this week. Baylor does still have to play at Iowa State.
2. Kansas 8-2 +3 (18-5). The Jayhawks host Missouri and go to Baylor. KU’s already been to Ames.
3. Missouri 8-2 +3 (21-2). The Tigers host Baylor and go to KU. Mizzou, too, has been to Ames.
4. Iowa State 7-3 +2 (17-6). The Cyclones haven’t played Baylor, plus they go to Missouri. Fourth place seems assured for ISU.
5. Kansas State 5-5 even (16-6). KSU still has Kansas, Baylor and Mizzou consecutively, the latter two on the road.
6. Oklahoma State 4-6 -1 (11-12). The Cowboys are through with Baylor, but they go to Missouri and play Kansas twice.
7. Texas 4-6 -2 (14-9). The Longhorns host Baylor and go to Kansas. They also play at OSU in a game that could decide sixth place.
8. Texas A&M 3-7 -1 (12-10). The Aggies are finished with Baylor. They get to host Missouri and Kansas.
9. Oklahoma 3-7 (13-9). The Sooners are finished with Kansas. They host Mizzou and go to Baylor. Lose to Missouri on Monday night, and OU might be relegated to ninth place.
10. Texas Tech 0-10 (7-15). Not terribly relevant.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
Super Bowl commercials: The good & the bad
I missed the Super Bowl commercials last year for the best of reasons. I was at the Super Bowl.
This year, I was home, which means access to the Super Bowl commercials. And I’ve got to say, it was a stellar class. There were some goofball advertisements, but for the most part, imaginative and entertaining.
Here’s my top 10 commercials from Sunday night:
1. Coca-Cola’s polar bears. Three versions, all fun. First off, polar bears are totally cool. If you’ve never seen polar bears, check them out sometime. I’ve seen them at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. A huge water tank, and let me tell you, they aren’t moving slowly when they hit that water. Anyway, the polar bears were great. And I love the imagery of an ice-cold Coke in arctic conditions.
2. Elton John’s Pepsi commercial. Pop culture meets the French Revolution. The X Factor’s Melanie Amaro the heroine. Fun, fun, fun.
3. Budweiser’s Prohibition spot. Celebrating the end of Prohibition, complete with the guy coming out of the barber shop with shaving cream all over his face. Just a bunch of cool-looking scenes from the 1930s, including a baseball park.
4. MetLife’s cartoon characters. All your old favorites made an appearance. The Jetsons. Mister Magoo. Charlie Brown, Underdog, the Cosby Kids. I was ready to sign up for insurance on the spot.
5. Doritos’ Great Dane. The dog apparently kills a cat and uses a bag of Doritos to bribe his owner not to say anything. Apparently, a bunch of cat-lovers are outraged, and you can see their point. But I must admit, I laughed out loud. Maybe if it wasn’t a Great Dane, I wouldn’t be so charmed.
6. Volkswagen’s dog workout. Some collie (looks like a collie) wants to chase cars, but he’s too fat to get through the doggy door. So he goes on a weight-loss training regimen. Climbs stairs, pulls a mat with weights on it, runs laps, watches what it eats, looks at itself in the mirror. A wonderful commentary on modern America. Not that it made me want to buy a Volkswagen.
7. Hyundai’s Rocky theme. Hyundai didn’t have a pristine night. The commercial where a driver uses quick stops and starts to resuscitate his passenger? Not all that cute. And the spot where a guy lets a cheetah out of a cage to race a Hyundai was just so-so. But when all the Hyundai employees start humming the theme from Rocky, well, I’m a sucker for the Rocky theme, and I’ll bet most Americans are, too.
8. The naked M&M’s. Sort of silly. But it made you think of M&M’s. And how can that be a bad thing?
9. Best Buy’s mobile phone store. Best Buy introduces us to all the guys who made great inventions with cell phones. Texting, videoing, all kinds of stuff. I found it educational.
10. Chevy Camaro and the graduate. Some guy thinks his parents have given him a Camaro for graduation and goes coo-coo. It’s actually the neighbor’s new car. A classic case of letting some misinformation go on too long.
Some general thoughts about other commercials.
* Didn’t like Audi’s vampire party. I don’t like vampires. I guess 16-year-old girls do, but I’m not sure they buy a bunch of Audis.
* The Ronald McDonald House commercial was sweet and darn near perfect. I don’t know why I didn’t put it in the top 10. Just didn’t seem like it belonged on the list.
* I didn’t like Chevrolet’s end-of-the-world commercial. The world has ended by some kind of The Apocalypse, and the only survivors drive Chevy trucks. Then the ad takes a shot at Ford owners. Sorry, I don’t want to live in a world where everyone drives a Chevy truck.
* Is it just me, or has Jerry Seinfeld lost his touch? His Acura commercial, in which he tries to buy the first Acura and must bribe a customer to step aside, just doesn’t do it. Not even Jay Leno rescues the commercial.
* The monkeys with careerbuilder.com make me laugh. They don’t make me check out careerbuilder.com, but they make me laugh.
* “Your Cheating Heart” never gets old with the Coke salesman in the Pepsi commercial. Or is that a Pepsi salesman in a Coke commercial.
* I didn’t like the reinvented Camry commercial at all. But I did like the concept of a reinvented Department of Motor Vehicles office, complete with ice cream and a putting green. There’s something there for all businesses to ponder.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
