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League Wide: How Good Can KSU Be in 2017?

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Let’s take a look at some news around the league from this week. 

The Facts of the Matter

Robert Allen had some strong thoughts on realignment conversations, all are pretty pointed.

First, concerning how badly OU is trying to leave the league:

Truth of the matter is, if a school is looking to leave a conference then they likely are being very quiet about it and exploring their options as stealth as possible. [GoPokes-$$$]

Agreed. Lest they look like Mizzou who got all dressed up with (initially) nowhere to go. Boren is saying an awful lot but truth of the matter is, he’s 76 and when OU is actually negotiating late in the grant-of-rights, it’s unlikely that he’s making the deal.

Second, grant-of-rights aren’t to be messed with.

I think we’ve gone far enough down the road to know that those agreements called “Grant-in-Rights” that each school signed to the Big 12, basically each other, calling for the conference to own each school’s television rights are holding up. If one school, even OU, tries to bolt and do it alone, well that will cause one heckuva legal battle. [GoPokes-$$$]

Berry Tramel pointed out on a lunch chat yesterday that you could see things heat up in 2022 when there are two to three years left in the grant of rights – so we may see action before 2025 but probably not on this side of 2020.

And last, the demise of the league won’t come for the reason you think it will.

Remember history, for someone to leave the Big 12 then they have to be looking for something. If the other conferences in the Power 5 ever want to expedite the end of the Big 12 then the schools they need to offer aren’t OU, Texas, or Oklahoma State, but instead Kansas State, Iowa State, or Texas Tech. Those schools are the ones with concern. [GoPokes-$$$]

We’re just talking semantics here, if it dies it dies because of states’ rights and not a strong central government, right? Inmates running the asylum? Something along those lines.

But could you see Iowa State frantically leaving behind the Big 12 if somehow the Iowa legislature highway-robbed the Big Ten into taking their other flagship school? Possibly. But is that more likely than OU getting shut out of a playoff and trying to break the handcuffs first? Naw.

Why Texas Must Need Not Be Texas

TulsaWorld’s Guerin Emig makes the old “a rising tide lifts all boats” argument.

The Longhorns should be making January bowl games and sending players into the first round, not losing to Kansas and napping through the NFL draft. They should be challenging KU’s reign over Big 12 hoops, not finishing dead last in the standings.

The Horns living up to their potential does (Tom) Herman and (Shaka) Smart the most good, but don’t underestimate the impact on Bob Stoops, Mike Gundy, Lon Kruger and Mike Boynton. They thrive under the OU and OSU brands, sure, but also under the Big 12’s. This goes particularly for December and March when College Football Playoff/NCAA Tournament committee members consider strength of schedule, RPI and what not.

The Big 12 brand isn’t nearly what it should be with Texas floundering. [TulsaWorld]

No matter how logical that argument sounds (Texas improvement = Big 12 status grows), it still feels like the best thing for Oklahoma State is to take Texas’ place in the upper tier.

Sure, long-term the league image suffers when Texas doesn’t Texas but if the thing is terminally ill, let’s “ride for the brand” until it lands securely.

Sad News Bears

Jenni Carlson looked at the Baylor situation not from the perspective of NCAA violations but transgressions against humans, concluding rightly with the ultimate goal.

Baylor may have enacted reforms, but changing policies and procedures does little good if hearts and minds remain the same. [NewsOK]

Reading the piece is well-worth your time, looking at various aspects and how they shaped her conclusion. A few hundred words hardly do justice to the topic but a correction in focus is timely.

Another conclusion reached is that no punishment is too much. And may be possible.

Deja Vu

OSU’s not the only team who can see similarities between the year ahead and the last time they won a conference title.

With an inefficient defense and almost no big-play threats, Kansas State went 9-4 and ranked 31st in S&P+ last season. The Wildcats found their offensive rhythm midseason and won six of their final seven games. After a 3-3 start, they transformed from the team I expected them to be — 6-6 with limited upside — to a team that in a lot of ways resembled the 10-win 2011 squad.

So does that mean 2017 will be another 2012? Probably not, but … you can’t count it out, can you? Conference favorite Oklahoma just lost its three best skill position guys, Oklahoma State and TCU have a lot to prove defensively, West Virginia has a ton of production to replace, and Texas and Baylor are in transition. The Wildcats have a lot to replace in their front seven but boast a seasoned secondary and offensive line, a revived skill corps, and, in KSU fashion, a quarterback who’s among the best running backs in the conference. [SBNation]

Of course, referencing Kansas State winning the league in 2012 (unless you’re Bob Stoops and depending on what day it is) and apparently the sentiment that they could repeat. Isn’t that last line the most K-State thing you’ve ever heard? Only thing missing is a Lockett and hyped-juco transfers.

I’d hate to see the hype K-State gets when they aren’t losing a defensive end to the NFL and have a Michael Bishop/Collin Klein-level talent returning.

Also, found the next 6’2″, 180 pound (soaking wet) quarter/running back that will lead the ‘Cats to nine wins:

Bonus Tweet:

Top five, eh? If the people were Nebraska-friendly, mayyyybe. It’s hours from skiing but not sure that floats it that high, Ubbs.

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