Pre-Snap Read

P.S.R. Op-Ed

A Modern Day Gold Rush

By Paul Myerberg   //   Jun 4, 2010

Texas makes its move. College football holds its breath.

Before pondering the projected power conference that will — somehow — tie a program in, say, Stillwater with a program in Los Angeles, let’s take a moment to remember the little guys.

Pour one out for Iowa State, those lovable Cyclones, which will cease to exist as a B.C.S. conference program once the Big 12 South Mayflowers itself to the West Coast. Would Iowa State’s demise be the result of a modern day re-imagining of Manifest Destiny? Hardly.

Try a modern day gold rush: it’s a money grab, pure and simple, and those without will again fall victim to those with. Texas: with. Texas A&M, for a variety of reasons: with. Oklahoma State: with — it’s all about who you know, obviously. Iowa State, Kansas State, Baylor, perhaps even Nebraska: without.

What will become of a program like Iowa State should the Big 12 disband? The Big Ten won’t come calling; I.S.U. lacks the historic success, the fan base, the money to be a viable option should that conference opt to split into two divisions. The Cyclones can tout their long-standing rivalry with Iowa, but little else.

Do you think Texas cares? Not a chance. Forget about Notre Dame: U.T. is now college football’s ultimate power broker, able to dictate the ebb and flow of the sport’s landscape with a simple snap of its fingers. The Longhorns won’t be left hanging around when Missouri bolts for the Big Ten, opening up the Big 12 to future restructuring, not when the university can leave on its own terms.

Programs like Missouri — proud programs, with plenty to offer — are remora; Texas is the shark. No, programs like Texas won’t be left without a partner at this dance.

The projected move would signal that college football is no longer about geography. The state of Oklahoma as part of the Pac-10? Why not? The West Coast has surfing, Oklahoma catfish noodling. Perfect match.

It’s no longer about rivalries. Say goodbye to Oklahoma and Nebraska; you can still catch the Game of the Century on ESPN Classic, I suppose. And that annual post-Thanksgiving affair between the Cornhuskers and Colorado? Why that game when you can have Washington State visit Texas Tech?

It’s no longer about parity, for better or for worse. The new Pac-10 — the Pac-16, I assume — would force the Big Ten to make similar waves, and the SEC to open its doors. The A.C.C. and the Big East should follow the same model, combining to form the largest conference east of the Mississippi. Perhaps the lone silver lining of this potential restructuring is that it would spell the end of the road for the much-maligned B.C.S., which would cease to exist in its current incarnation.

College football is now about television contracts, equipment contracts, revenue sharing and department surpluses. It’s about making as much money as possible, about staying high on the hog at the expense of others. In short, this projected move means college football is more like the N.F.L. than ever.

It’s now about the haves, the have-nots and the overwhelming fear of being the one left behind.

Tags: Big 12, Iowa State, Pac-10, Texas

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