Oklahoma football: Is Big 12 commissioner sending message passing on Red River Rivalry?
By Chip Rouse
The 12th-ranked Oklahoma football team heads south down I-35 and over the Red River this weekend for its annual rivalry game against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
The Red River Rivalry is a marquee game in college football circles every season and one of the best and oldest rivalries in the sport. This year’s game, the 119th in the long-running series, is the final one for both OU and Texas as members of the Big 12.
The Sooners and Longhorns are moving to the SEC after this season, where their annual rivalrydeci clash will be conducted after a different conference banner.
Even though Oklahoma and Texas are in lame duck status this season, there is much at stake in this year’s matchup between the two longtime Big 12 powers. Both teams are undefeated at 5-0 and the only two Big 12 teams ranked in the nation’s top 25 this week.
It is easily the biggest game on the Big 12 schedule this weekend, and the fact that the OU-Texas game is played every year in Dallas, where the conference headquarters are located, you would think it would be a natural for the Big 12 commissioner to attend the game.
Despite all these factors, or perhaps even because of them, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark will not be attending the game, according to ESPN college football reporter Heather Dinich.
No explanation has been provided, which allows the rumor mill to run wild. In a world where perception often mirrors reality, the commissioner’s decision not to attend the OU-Texas game appears to send the message that he has written off the Sooners and Longhorns as far as the Big 12 is concerned.
During Big 12 Football Media Days in July, the Big 12 commissioner took a shot at OU and Texas. When asked about Oklahoma and Texas carrying the conference in regards to recruiting, Yormark said:
“I don’t think they’ve carried the conference in recruiting. They haven’t been in our championship the past few years.”
That’s a rather narrow-sighted view, however, by a commissioner trying desperately to make a point. Between Oklahoma (14) and Texas (3) they have won 17 of 24 Big 12 conference titles.
And here’s the kicker regarding conference representation at this Saturday’s Red River battle. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey will be in attendance