It's the mascots. They're annoying as hell.
Otherwise, the Big 12 Football Media Days are first-class event. There's plenty of access in a large, downtown Dallas hotel. The storylines have already emerged when media and teams gather Monday and Tuesday at the Omni.
TCU, Baylor, expansion, playoff chances …
But, wow, the mascots. Someone had the bright idea of allowing all 10 to cavort around the premises shaking hands, staging those annoying fake duels.
Cute if you're 4; disturbing if you're 44.
Think of a giant horned frog pantomiming his way through flow charts at your next sales meeting.
Next mascot that comes near me in Dallas is getting a face-full of knuckles right in his plush face.
Let's bring on the interviews. Commissioner Bob Bowlsby will kick things off with what has historically been a newsy state of the union address.
From there, here are five other things to watch at the Big 12's media days.
1. Expansion talks: Everyone needs to take an Advil PM on this one and calm down. It isn't going to happen anytime soon. We'll boil it down for you: There's no reason to expand at the moment. In the next year, deregulation will allow the Big 12 to stage a championship game with its 10-team lineup. So if the league wants to play a 13th game, it can, probably as soon as the 2016 season.
Another reason not to expand: Each school cashed checks for $25.2 million in the last fiscal year. If it adds teams, the Big 12's new schools would be guaranteed the same amount from the rightsholders (ESPN, Fox). But nothing more. Great for the new teams, probably nothing extra for the existing 10. You might have noticed the reported cutbacks at the aforementioned networks; it is unlikely that either is in the mood to renegotiate a contract that provides cost certainty at the moment.
That means to break even on expansion, the league would have earn 17 percent more on its current second and third-tier rights ($100 million). That includes the Sugar Bowl deal, NCAA Tournament money and Big 12 basketball tournament money. Tell me if any combination of BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, UConn, Memphis, South Florida, etc. adds that much to the pot. The answer is none of them do.
Oklahoma president David Boren likes to hear himself talk. Get back to me in 10 years when the current media rights deals run out.
2. One True Champion: The Big 12 will really, really have one this season. Will it make a difference? The league was widely mocked for its long-held participation trophy philosophy of not breaking ties. Some -- like Art Briles -- think that cost the Big 12 a berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff.
Probably not, but in the event of a two-way tie going forward, head-to-head will decide the conference champion. Seems pretty simple, doesn't it?
3. Steve Patterson's tenuous situation: Two stories emerged last week suggesting Texas' athletic director is in trouble. Patterson's management style seems to be the issue. Usually, this would be water-cooler type gossip. But at one of the nation's richest and most powerful schools, the AD's conduct impacts everything.
While Patterson is interested in staging events in Mexico and Dubai, he'd be wise to figure out how to beat Baylor and TCU. In the end, Patterson's fate is directly tied to the success of coach Charlie Strong. Unless, that is, Patterson continues to (allegedly) piss off the wrong people.
4. The Baylor-TCU power base: It has to be more than a bit embarrassing for Texas and Oklahoma that the league's two small, private schools are the class of the conference. Even more embarrassing: It doesn't look like that fact is going to change anytime soon. TCU and Baylor are picked 1-2 in the preseason media poll. Texas is chasing .500. Oklahoma is coming off a five-win season.
The Bears and Frogs have the best players, best coaches and best prospects in the Big 12 at this point. They meet in Fort Worth on Nov. 27 in what should be the league's game of the year.
5. Boy-oh-Boykin: It's incredible but true: The league's best player -- TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin -- has barely spoken publicly this year. Even then, it was a staged event -- throwing out the first pitch at a Rangers game. That changes Monday when Boykin faces the media at the Omni Hotel in Dallas.
Boykin was a perfect fit for TCU's new spread option last season. With another year in the system, the former tailback should flourish. Think of Johnny Manziel without the off-field baggage. Some projections have him as the Heisman favorite.
6. Didn't you used to be Oklahoma?: A year ago, Bob Stoops and the Sooners couldn't have been hotter, coming off a BCS bowl win against Alabama. Now there are questions all over the place, starting at quarterback where Trevor Knight regressed. Tailback Joe Mixonreturns after a year's suspension for striking a woman. Then there is that 8-5 record, tying for Stoops' worst at Oklahoma since his first season (1999).
Stoops changed a bunch of assistants but one of them wasn't his brother, Mike, the defensive coordinator. Only eight teams were worse at defending the pass. The Sooners have a Heisman candidate in Samaji Perine but in the pass-happy Big 12, they're going to have to achieve some sort of balance.
There's a lot of work to done in Norman. It doesn't look like a one-year job
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...s-week-at-the-2015-big-12-football-media-days
Otherwise, the Big 12 Football Media Days are first-class event. There's plenty of access in a large, downtown Dallas hotel. The storylines have already emerged when media and teams gather Monday and Tuesday at the Omni.
TCU, Baylor, expansion, playoff chances …
But, wow, the mascots. Someone had the bright idea of allowing all 10 to cavort around the premises shaking hands, staging those annoying fake duels.
Cute if you're 4; disturbing if you're 44.
Think of a giant horned frog pantomiming his way through flow charts at your next sales meeting.
Next mascot that comes near me in Dallas is getting a face-full of knuckles right in his plush face.
Let's bring on the interviews. Commissioner Bob Bowlsby will kick things off with what has historically been a newsy state of the union address.
From there, here are five other things to watch at the Big 12's media days.
1. Expansion talks: Everyone needs to take an Advil PM on this one and calm down. It isn't going to happen anytime soon. We'll boil it down for you: There's no reason to expand at the moment. In the next year, deregulation will allow the Big 12 to stage a championship game with its 10-team lineup. So if the league wants to play a 13th game, it can, probably as soon as the 2016 season.
Another reason not to expand: Each school cashed checks for $25.2 million in the last fiscal year. If it adds teams, the Big 12's new schools would be guaranteed the same amount from the rightsholders (ESPN, Fox). But nothing more. Great for the new teams, probably nothing extra for the existing 10. You might have noticed the reported cutbacks at the aforementioned networks; it is unlikely that either is in the mood to renegotiate a contract that provides cost certainty at the moment.
That means to break even on expansion, the league would have earn 17 percent more on its current second and third-tier rights ($100 million). That includes the Sugar Bowl deal, NCAA Tournament money and Big 12 basketball tournament money. Tell me if any combination of BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, UConn, Memphis, South Florida, etc. adds that much to the pot. The answer is none of them do.
Oklahoma president David Boren likes to hear himself talk. Get back to me in 10 years when the current media rights deals run out.
2. One True Champion: The Big 12 will really, really have one this season. Will it make a difference? The league was widely mocked for its long-held participation trophy philosophy of not breaking ties. Some -- like Art Briles -- think that cost the Big 12 a berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff.
Probably not, but in the event of a two-way tie going forward, head-to-head will decide the conference champion. Seems pretty simple, doesn't it?
3. Steve Patterson's tenuous situation: Two stories emerged last week suggesting Texas' athletic director is in trouble. Patterson's management style seems to be the issue. Usually, this would be water-cooler type gossip. But at one of the nation's richest and most powerful schools, the AD's conduct impacts everything.
While Patterson is interested in staging events in Mexico and Dubai, he'd be wise to figure out how to beat Baylor and TCU. In the end, Patterson's fate is directly tied to the success of coach Charlie Strong. Unless, that is, Patterson continues to (allegedly) piss off the wrong people.
4. The Baylor-TCU power base: It has to be more than a bit embarrassing for Texas and Oklahoma that the league's two small, private schools are the class of the conference. Even more embarrassing: It doesn't look like that fact is going to change anytime soon. TCU and Baylor are picked 1-2 in the preseason media poll. Texas is chasing .500. Oklahoma is coming off a five-win season.
The Bears and Frogs have the best players, best coaches and best prospects in the Big 12 at this point. They meet in Fort Worth on Nov. 27 in what should be the league's game of the year.
5. Boy-oh-Boykin: It's incredible but true: The league's best player -- TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin -- has barely spoken publicly this year. Even then, it was a staged event -- throwing out the first pitch at a Rangers game. That changes Monday when Boykin faces the media at the Omni Hotel in Dallas.
Boykin was a perfect fit for TCU's new spread option last season. With another year in the system, the former tailback should flourish. Think of Johnny Manziel without the off-field baggage. Some projections have him as the Heisman favorite.
6. Didn't you used to be Oklahoma?: A year ago, Bob Stoops and the Sooners couldn't have been hotter, coming off a BCS bowl win against Alabama. Now there are questions all over the place, starting at quarterback where Trevor Knight regressed. Tailback Joe Mixonreturns after a year's suspension for striking a woman. Then there is that 8-5 record, tying for Stoops' worst at Oklahoma since his first season (1999).
Stoops changed a bunch of assistants but one of them wasn't his brother, Mike, the defensive coordinator. Only eight teams were worse at defending the pass. The Sooners have a Heisman candidate in Samaji Perine but in the pass-happy Big 12, they're going to have to achieve some sort of balance.
There's a lot of work to done in Norman. It doesn't look like a one-year job
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...s-week-at-the-2015-big-12-football-media-days