Parity, unity must lead Big 12 into future of new-look college athletics

The formation of the Big 12 signaled a shift in college athletics as a broader, more national sport concerned with television markets and mass appeal over regional rivalries and tradition. Eight members of the Big Eight, led by Oklahoma, and four members of the Southwest Conference, spearheaded by Texas, merged into a super conference that was announced in February 1994 and began play in 1996. 

There is an obvious irony at play for the Big 12. The conference was formed because the Big Eight, despite brands like Oklahoma and Nebraska, couldn’t score big money deals in markets such as Norman, Okla. and Lincoln, Neb. The introduction of professional football in Dallas and Houston, as well as multiple recruiting scandals that resulted in NCAA penalties that drove top talent out of the Lone Star State, hurt the perception of the Southwest Conference and eventually caused a fallout with Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Baylor leaving for the Big 12.