For the third straight season, the Big 12 Conference is being dominated by the South division. Monday, OU coach Bob Stoops said it might be time to get off the North-South set up.
“It would probably be great, throwing out the Big 12 championship game and play everybody like the Big Ten does, or the Pac-10, play an extra conference game and get away from the divisions,” he said on the Big 12 coaches conference call.
The response was brought on by questions about the South’s superiority over the North again this season. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M;, Texas Tech and Baylor have gone a combined 13-3 against teams from the North.
The Longhorns (No. 4), the Sooners (No. 18) and the Aggies (No. 21) are the only teams currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.
Only three North teams (Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas State) have winning records. In the South, every team but one (Baylor) has more wins than losses.
Stoops said he’s never viewed the conference as being split.
He sees a 12-team league where others view it as two six-team divisions.
“I don’t segment the conference like everyone else. I don’t think any of us (coaches) do,” he said. “There’s good players and good coaches in both divisions. We look at it as one big league.”
One perceived benefit of eliminating the division set would be to allow OU and Nebraska to renew their long-standing rivalry. The two teams dominated the old Big Eight Conference for the latter part of the 20th century. But since the Big 12 began in 1996, they’ve only met six times and aren’t scheduled to play again until 2008.
“I think those are the kinds of things we have that we would be able to have each and every year,” he said. “It’s been diluted now that we only play every couple of years. I don’t know how fair it would be, but that’s the way it is. It seems like we have more rivals than everybody else.”
Currently the division teams each play each other and alternate playing three teams from the other every two years.
You’d think the Bears would be the one team anxious to get away from having to play OU, Texas and Texas A&M; every year.
But Baylor coach Guy Morriss strongly disagrees with the idea of breaking up the divisions.
“They knew it when they got in the conference what the competition was going to be like,” Morriss said. “I don’t see it as unfair. For us, I see it that we’ve got to catch up to those guys.”
Tough week for Kelly
OU receiver Malcolm Kelly went through a difficult time last week due to the death of his grandfather, Alphonso Smith.
Kelly left Norman Thursday to be with his family in Longview, Texas, and planned to miss the Missouri game to attend the funeral.
“I talked to my grandma and she told me how he was looking forward to watching me play in that game,” Kelly said.
Kelly was OU’s leading receiver with four catches for 40 yards, but didn’t do much celebrating afterwards.
“It really hit me after the game because that was the time the funeral was going on.”
Wait and see
OU is still waiting to find out what time its Nov. 11 game against Texas Tech will kick off. ABC has invoked its third and final six-day selection for the 2006 season.
That means Sooner fans will not know until Saturday or Sunday the starting time for the final home game of the season.
The game has three potential starting times. If ABC selects the game, it will begin at either 2:30 p.m., or 7 p.m. If ABC passes on the game, it will be picked up by FSN and start at 6 p.m.
ABC will choose between the OU-Tech game and the Texas A&M-Nebraska; game. The game not selected by ABC will go to FSN.
John Shinn366-3536jshinn@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
Stoops doesn't like Big 12 divisions
- OU Sports
-
-
OU gearing up for Texas’ Brown
If Oklahoma guard Steven Pledger had his way, tonight’s meeting with Texas will come down to two players: himself and Longhorn guard J’Covan Brown....
-
Sooners will have a dramatically new look up and down the order, on the mound
The clubhouse at L. Dale Mitchell Park hasn’t changed over the last year. Just about everything else has since the 2011 baseball season ended. The locker stalls have 20 new nameplates. The coaches’ locker room has two new ones as well. ...
-
Despite hard fight, UConn wins big
By its own standards, the Connecticut team that took the floor Monday night at Lloyd Noble Center was not in the same class as its previous incarnations. But a down year for the seven-time national champions is still better than just ...
-
Believe it or not, OU women are progressing
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma appeared plenty willing to embarrass Oklahoma for a third time in seven games....
-
OU reeling from stunning loss to Texas Tech
As Oklahoma’s players headed toward the exit at United Spirit Arena on Saturday night, most had dazed looks on their faces. The 65-47 loss to Texas Tech was something they didn’t see coming....
-
Husky challenge
No time might seem like a good time to face Connecticut. The Huskies are always terrific and this season will enter Lloyd Noble Center likely ranked No. 2 following Notre Dame’s Sunday loss to West Virginia....
-
Sooners put finishing touches on perfect opener
Oklahoma capped off a perfect opening weekend of softball on Sunday with an 11-1 victory over Kent State. The Sooners were led by another strong outing from pitcher Keilani Rickets and an offensive explosion by Allee Allen....
-
Illinois halts OU’s upset
ITHACA, N.Y. — Oklahoma was not upset at the National Duals on Sunday. It did, however, leave disappointed....
-
Sooners fall flat against Raiders
LUBBOCK, Texas — All that progress Oklahoma believes it has been making didn’t make the trip to Texas Tech on Saturday. The Sooners moonwalked their way to a 65-47 loss at United Spirit Arena that easily qualified as the season’s worst ...
-
Sooners narrowly avoid handing Tigers their first win in Big 12 play
Morgan Hook hit the free throws and Kaylon Williams blocked the shot, grabbed the rebound, got fouled and made one of two from the stripe to put the game away....
- More OU Sports Headlines
-
OU gearing up for Texas’ Brown
