On the homeward commute Wednesday evening, I caught the last half of Kevin Kietzman and crew proclaiming that Baylor doesn't belong in the Big 12. The ever-pliable Danny Clinkscale was actually trying to be the voice of reason, but he was truly no match for the "repeat it until they agree in some tiny way" debate style of the Kietz. Truly a master. Anyway, I hope KK never runs into the BearMeat crew from Waco. Actually, I do.
I've been into this Baylor/Big 12 subject before, but lets go a little deeper:
Big 12 Cliche
This is an ancient topic thrown out by "Big 12 fans" that want to make themselves appear knowledgeable on the league. It's old news and and it's not going to change. You might as well spend your time discussing how Ford should have beat Jimmy Carter.
Wrong Question: What About Bevo?
The question isn't why we let Baylor in -- it's why did we let Texas in? At 50k enrollment, they're a monster and Big 12 continues to feed this bad boy. A&M is at 45k so they're "out there as well", but everyone else fits in the 20-30k range (excluding Baylor at 13k). Of course, we all know it's about TV sets, but the Longhorn problem is a more worthy discussion than whether or not the Bears should be kicked out. That's not to say that I disrespect Texas or think they should be out of the conference -- the 12 we have are solid for our league. We just have to keep this Texas situation in check and that's a more important concern than Baylor.
Who's Next?
It's a big league. With twelve teams, someone is going to struggle and someone has to finish last. Considering some of the issues they've gone through, Baylor actually competes pretty well. Besides pushing the Bears out really puts you in mentality to always cut out anyone near the bottom. Suppose you cut out Baylor for Arkansas (that ship has sailed KK, the Clink was right on CSU), who's next? Iowa State hasn't been exceptional in football or basketball and their main rival is in the Big 10. How about Kansas State? Until the "decade of dominance," they were playing in a 30k stadium. KU hasn't really offered much in football, but I suppose you need that basketball tradition. Maybe we just cut some of the programs out each sport and have separate power basketball and football conference? Absolutely not! See where this goes. You put somebody on the chopping block and where do you stop? If you want parity, watch the NFL, but brew up a pot a coffee because it can be a real snoozer.
Timing is Everything
This is the wrong year for Kansas State and Kansas football fans to talk trash on Baylor. Throw Colorado into the mix and the Bears swept the north in football.
Final Summation
Leave the Bears alone. I find it refreshing to have a unique private school with a smaller enrollment in the mix. Besides, it really looks like both programs are moving in the right direction. Football will be tough because that's arguably the toughest division in college football. However, the format for basketball is a little more open and I suspect Scott Drew will lead the Bears to a full recovery in that sport.