Let Texas A&M agonize over the unfair advantages the Texas television network has in revenue and recruiting. Let Missouri fret over it as well. For Kansas, the best thing to say about it is what’s being said: Nothing.
The advantages of staying in a conference with Texas far outweigh the thought of trying to find a home that doesn’t include the Longhorns.
Think about the options discussed the last time conference realignment took place, when the Big 12 lost Colorado and Nebraska and teetered on the brink of extinction.
The Big 10? Didn’t want KU.
The Mountain West? It didn’t make much sense geographically and was a disaster financially because of the tiny TV dollars.
The Big East? Kansas would be more competitive in that football conference, but think of the insane travel demands for student-athletes. Plus, so much for hopping in the car with fellow alumni for a football or basketball road trip. Kansas fans like to head south, where it’s warmer in the autumn and winter, for games, not north or east.
Texas A&M bolting elsewhere wouldn’t spell the end of the Big 12, and although it would damage the conference, it wouldn’t be so bad for Kansas.
Texas needs Kansas to maintain the basketball glamour of the conference, and Kansas needs Texas in order to convince recruits they play in a big-time football conference. Kansas needs Texas to sell recruits from the Metroplex shunned by the Longhorns that the only thing better than playing football for UT is beating UT’s football team. It’s a tough sell and always will be, but as long as KU and Kansas State stay joined at the hip with the Longhorns, they’ll compete in a big-time conference, get big-time exposure and generate big-time revenue.
Some bemoan a league called the Big 12 having just 10 teams, but commissioner Dan Beebe is not among them. Beebe’s not about to push for expansion for the sake of expansion and won’t back any plan that pushes the league to 12 teams unless the last two heighten the profile of the league and bring new TV markets.
So for now, Kansas plays a greatly improved conference schedule in both football and basketball. In football, the Jayhawks go from playing five teams from the division formerly known as North and three from the South to playing three North opponents and six South every year. Is that such a big difference? Well, yes.
Kansas has a nine-game losing streak against South teams, and the average score in those games spanning three seasons — Mark Mangino’s final two and Turner Gill’s first — was 46-16.
Still, it beats moving to the Mountain West.
In basketball, the schedule gets tougher and will result in far more competitive, enjoyable games because instead of playing one game a year against South teams, KU plays two. Losing two games apiece against Nebraska and Colorado means subtracting four virtually automatic victories.
KU’s record in the past 32 games against Colorado and Nebraska combined: 32-0. In the past 32 games against South foes, Kansas has a still-dominant record of 26-6 record with fewer blowouts and therefore more exciting games to watch, especially the ones against Texas.
