Twitter reaction to Texas A&M leaving the Big 12
Ah, Twitter world. You knew I wouldn’t forget about you, right?
Once the news came down this morning that Texas A&M is officially planning to leave the Big 12, I threw out three questions on Twitter:
What is your reaction?
What does this mean for the Big 12?
What does this mean for OSU?
Here’s a sample of some of the responses I got. Some are insightful. Some are hilarious. Some are very opinionated.
Heck, even Boone Pickens threw out his thoughts on Twitter, saying “In 5 yrs I think it will be apparent the #Aggies made a bad call on this. #Big12 #SEC.”
Enjoy.
Jstobbe: Pac-10 here we come. and it’s all #UT’s fault. (I think he means Pac-12, but no matter)
BSargentOKC: A&M football won’t be competitive in the SEC. OK State and OU need to go west and join the Pac-12. Big 12 is now doomed.
ScKing: We all knew that last year’s realignment meant the end to the Big 12 soon. Just not this soon. BYU doesn’t fix any problems.
andrewOKST: For me it gives everyone in the league even more incentive to whoop A&M’s…bottom this year.
RobertWhetsell: A&M…have fun getting pounded in the SEC! Hello Pac 16.
krginn: Have fun being the 9th best football team in the SEC. OkState needs to pack up and head to the PAC 12 with OU, Texas & Texas Tech.
dougbranstetter: hate to see them go, but Boone Pickens has ensured we are relevant and will be a player in any conference realignment. #thankboone
KBNOKC: Both OU and OSU need to be aggressive and not sit back and just follow Texas’ lead.
Brianraper: the only problem I have with going to the PAC is the late night games, especially in basketball.
Kevin_House1: Here we come Pac-16!
osu_shepherd: I hope this means we go to Pac-16. I don’t know how the Big 12 can stay relevant.
jordanmoore21: sucks to lose a Texas rival. I’m worried about how this will affect our recruiting down there.
natethirty: as long as OSU is still playing football in the fall & the winter, I don’t care what conference we’re in, or who we’re playing.
patrickspears87: I have a feeling this leads to the end of the Big 12. Standing pat last year after CU and Neb left was the start of it.
ThirdEyeMystic: not good for anyone left in the #Big12. I’m not too hot on moving to the PAC.
acejones18: #Big12 was done when #NU and #CU left. If it remains intact it will only get weaker. #okstate & others need to look to upgrade.
bleedorng72: A&M is acting like the kid that ran away because their brother was mean but sat on the curb because they had no place to go.
Thanks to everyone that shared their thoughts. You can follow me on Twitter at @ginamizell.
The OSU students speak: Reaction to Texas A&M leaving Big 12
I spent much of the afternoon on the OSU campus, chatting with students about Texas A&M’s announcement that it plans to leave the Big 12.
I got a wide range of answers. About the Aggies. About the future of the Big 12. About what this all means for OSU and what the school should do from here. About keeping the Bedlam rivalry intact.
And then there were some folks who had no idea what I was talking about. Hey, it’s a big university. Not everyone is going to care about football. Unfathomable to our kind, I know.
Here’s a sample of the answers I got:
Reaction to Texas A&M officially announcing it intends to leave the Big 12
“I’m kind of glad. (Texas A&M) needed to decide one way or another. I know there’s lots of movement amongst the conferences, so if they want to go elsewhere, I can’t necessarily blame them. But they kind of needed to pick one way or the other.”
–Aaron Krejci, senior
“I don’t really know what to think. It’s going to be sad to see Texas A&M go. I think they’re going to have a lot tougher schedule in the SEC. I’m kind of wondering why they’re doing it, just because they’re going to go from one of the top schools in the Big 12 to one of the lowest ones in the SEC, because they have Auburn, Alabama, Florida. All those schools are going to have so much bigger of the advantage. I guess they’re just looking for money. I think with the Longhorn Network, that’s one of the big reasons they’re moving, too. I think they’re some bad blood (between Texas and Texas A&M).”
–Matthew Roche, senior
“It’s been all over Twitter and stuff for a long time. Everybody’s known it’s coming.”
–Cade Colburn, junior
On what this means for the Big 12 conference
“It’s probably not good for the Big 12, because the more teams that leave, the conference is probably going to fall apart. Other teams might be convinced to leave, and the big schools might want to go to bigger conferences to compete. This probably means the downfall of the Big 12.”
–Aaron Krejci, senior
“I don’t know what’s going to happen to the Big 12 now. Probably going to end up disbanding, I’d think.”
–Matthew Roche, senior
“I don’t know if (the Big 12 is) going to start falling out, or if we’re going to stay strong and just be like ‘Oh well, see you later,’ (to Texas A&M).”
–Courtney Evans, sophomore
“Someone said the Big 12’s going to be around as long as Oklahoma and Texas want it to be, so I don’t really think it’s going to hurt us that badly. I think A&M’s more hurting themselves going to the SEC.”
–Cade Colburn, junior
On what OSU should do
“It’s nice having (OSU) in the Big 12, because regionally, you can travel with road games. If they play in the Pac-whatever-it-will-be, traveling for road games will be a lot harder. The Big 12 is a good fit, but if (OSU) was going to go anywhere, I’d like to see it go west. The SEC is a football powerhouse, and I feel like we’d get crushed and we’d become the Baylor of the SEC. I wish the Big 12 would stay together.”
–Aaron Krejci, senior
“I’d rather go East Coast than West Coast, but we’ll see what happens. But I think we’ll definitely start looking for another conference.”
–Matthew Roche, senior
On if trying to keep the Big 12 together is worth it
“It would be cool to keep the Big 12, for sure. I don’t know what teams, though, especially with TCU signing on with the Big East. They would have been a perfect addition, I think. We should keep exploring (new conferences), but I think we should definitely try to keep the Big 12 together, because there’s a lot of history behind it.”
–Matthew Roche, senior
“In a perfect world, I’d like (the Big 12) to pick up more teams. But I don’t want weak teams, so some people kind of lose respect for our conference. If we can pick up respectable teams, that’s kind of ideal.”
–Cade Colburn, junior
On what schools the Big 12 should go after
“TCU, even though it’s a smaller school. They’ve had lots of success lately. I know there’s been talk about Air Force and BYU. BYU would be a good school, because it has a lot of fans, a lot of followers. Those two schools (TCU and BYU) I would say for sure.”
–Aaron Krejci, senior
On if sticking with OU is critical
“If we did split with OU and we didn’t play them every year, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. But it is that rivalry and it’s what college football’s all about, and so if at all possible, you like to see the great rivalries stay together. It would be nice to go wherever OU goes, but we also want to be a school that thinks for ourselves and doesn’t just follow the herd. I think programs with that mentality are the top programs—that we’re leaders, not followers.”
–Aaron Krejci, senior
“I want to stay with OU for sure. I want to keep that Bedlam rivalry going.”
–Matthew Roche, senior
“It’s still a good game every year. I like Bedlam and I don’t really want to see (OU) leave, but I wouldn’t mind seeing OU get their butts kicked in another conference.”
–Courtney Evans, sophomore
“It’s Bedlam. It’s just kind of the way things work. You’ve got to have a rivalry (game).”
–Cade Colburn, junior
Sidenote: Can someone please tell Mother Nature that it’s almost September and that these 100-degree temperatures need to go away?
Dynamic Duos: Where Do Weeden/Blackmon Rank?
By John Helsley
jhelsley@opubco.com
follow on twitter @jjhelsley
We published our annual football preview on Sunday — if you didn’t get one, rush out and find one, it’s worth it — and the theme was Dynamic Duos.
At OSU, of course, we focused on the duo of Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon, arguably the best pass-and-catch tandem of 2010, back for more in 2011. The guys posed for some great photos and had fun with the topic, with each saying the other was the hero, while he was the sidekick.
For some fun on that, check out this story on the topic.
Oklahoma State's Dynamic Duo of receiver Justin Blackmon, left, and quarterback Brandon Weeden. PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, The Oklahoman
“There was Zac (Robinson) and Dez (Bryant), Hart Lee (Dykes) and coach (Mike) Gundy, Josh (Fields) and Rashaun (Woods), and the list goes on, but just to be mentioned in those same group of guys is pretty special,” Weeden said.
One correction: The list doesn’t go on and on.
And already, Blackmon and Weeden have surpassed those other duos, at least statistically, in several categories.
And with another number-numbing season like 2010, Weeden and Blackmon may have to be considered OSU’s best passer/receiver duo of all time.
Not bad, considering each emerged amid major questions, even doubts a year ago.
“Who would have thought a year ago that it would have gone down the way it did. In kind of a surreal way, it ended up pretty good.”
Pretty good?
How about dang good.
“You’ve still got to pinch me every once in a while,” Weeden said. “It’s kind of unreal. It’s hard to look back and reflect on it, but when we’re done here, we can look back and look in the record books and see our names. That will be really cool then. When you have kids, that sort of stuff.
“But right now, everything’s still overwhelming that you don’t want to look back, and you don’t have time to.”
Power Lunch chat with Gina Mizell
At the movies with the Cowboys
No, I wasn’t invited.
But I thought this clip was entertaining, courtesy of the OSU athletics Twitter feed. And it’s always good to see a team hanging out away from the field.
Shall we take a poll on what movie they were seeing?
Justin Blackmon’s ESPN Sport Science segment
Earlier today we told you about how Justin Blackmon will soon be featured on ESPN Sport Science.
Well, the clip was posted on ESPN.com Friday evening. The segment focuses on Blackmon’s range, how he adjusts to the ball and his ability to catch just about any pass that is thrown remotely close to him.
Still no word on when the segment will actually air on ESPN, but enjoy.
Walk-ons Colton Chelf, Casey LaBrue, Kyle Hale awarded scholarships
Three Oklahoma State football walk-ons–senior wide receiver Colton Chelf, senior offensive lineman Casey LaBrue and sophomore safety Kyle Hale–have been awarded scholarships, the program announced Friday.
“Young men that walk on to our program and work extremely hard will have an opportunity to earn a scholarship when we have any money left over that we can give to them,” coach Mike Gundy said. “We certainly want to do it because they are what college football is all about. Guys that love to play the game and they start out doing it for free–I think it’s a show of the direction we’re going and what we stand for, which is trying to do the right thing.”
Chelf, the brother of backup quarterback Clint Chelf, was a productive member of the Cowboys’ receiving corps last season, catching 11 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown. He’s currently listed as Tracy Moore’s backup at one of the inside receiver spots.
LaBrue, the Cowboys’ backup center, played in five games last season.
Hale recorded six tackles in 12 games played last season and made his biggest impact on special teams.
Brandon Weeden, GQ as in *Gentleman Quarterback
Brandon Weeden is raising his profile — and changing it too. His Twitter profile, that is.
Apparently the Oklahoma State’s quarterback — @bweeden3 on Twitter — has some mad Photoshop skills, too.
Another example of athletes having fun interacting with fans. Is it just me, or has Twitter forced college football coaches to loosen up?
Mike Sherman
Sports Editor
email: msherman@oklahoman.com
twitter: @MikeSherman
Justin Blackmon to be featured on ESPN Sport Science
We all know that Justin Blackmon is one of the best, if not the best, wide receiver in college football.
But what, scientifically speaking, makes him such a beast?
Looks like we’re about to find out. ESPN Sport Science producer Annie Tang tweeted this morning that Blackmon has filmed a segment for the show.
Here’s what the tweet said:
“Keep an eye out this season for our #sportscience segment on #okstate @JustBlack81 You’ll see exactly why he’s a top prospect!”
No details are available yet as far as what went on during the shoot or when it will air. But check out this segment with Larry Fitzgerald to see what a session with a wide receiver can be like.
Chatting with Pat Jones
OSU head coach Mike Gundy, right, talks to former OSU head coach Pat Jones before Oklahoma State University college football practice in Stillwater, Okla., August 7, 2006. The Oklahoman file photo.
I called Pat Jones last night for the story I wrote about Mike Gundy’s decision for the second year in a row to not have any full-on scrimmaging before the season-opener. Gundy made a joke during the press conference that his former coach wouldn’t be too happy about it, so I decided to get Jones’ thoughts. I included one quote from Jones in the story, but here’s a little bit more of what he said:
“That’s a universal discussion for everybody. It feels like we have this discussion with some of these guys every year. I’m not saying there’s a right and a wrong, because I think there’s different situations. Personal experience has been, and we did it both collegiately and in the NFL…we were gonna hit.”
And…
“(OSU’s) practices are up-tempo and they’re pretty physical, they just didn’t have a whole lot of scrimmaging. They’re still pretty physical about what they’re doing. Somebody doesn’t need to think that they’re not being physical, because they are. It’s just a matter of how physical.”
But what impressed me, and truthfully caught me off guard a bit, was after I had gotten the information I was looking for and was ready to hang up, he offered to help me with anything I needed from now on. Then he started asking me about my background and it kind of turned into a six degrees of separation game. His first game as the OSU head coach was at Arizona State, my alma mater, in 1984. And Beaumont, my last stop, used to be his recruiting area. I wasn’t surprised to hear that he heavily recruited Southeast Texas, because Jimmy Johnson is from Port Arthur, which is just south of Beaumont.
In short, I really enjoyed the conversation. Jones sure has a lively personality. And people like him will help me create good stories now and in the future.
