The issue of regionality, or a lack thereof, in modern NCAA conferences -- which has led to the dissolution of classic rivalries -- has been a hot topic at USA Today as of late.
USA Today's Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams made their latest case of bringing some semblance of regional sensibility and conference continuity via the Missouri Tigers and Oklahoma Sooners returning to the Big 12 with a twist:
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark considering bringing the Nebraska Cornhuskers back into the fold as well, since the Huskers also have the Colorado Buffaloes as perhaps their most hated rival in program lore.
As Adams explained about the idea of bringing Oklahoma back to the Big 12, the Sooners' rivalry with Nebraska and their in-state "Bedlam" blood feud with the Oklahoma State Cowboys are among their most storied rivalries in program history.
"The 1971 matchup of these teams, pitting No. 1 versus No. 2, ranks among the greatest games ever played. Neither program is what it used to be, but anyone who respects college football's tradition knows this game has a place on the annual calendar," Adams said.
"Start with the name, Bedlam. Few rivalries have a better name. In-state rivalries like this one are part of college football's backbone. This here is a classic case of realignment interfering with a good rivalry. OU owns the series, but Oklahoma State scored some signature wins, including in the last installment in 2023."
Toppmeyer, meanwhile, sees the "Border War" between Mizzou and KU being a must on the yearly College Football calendar for reasons that go beyond the gridiron.
"There ought to be a rule: If 'War' is in the rivalry's name, it must be played annually. Such is the case here. The Border War rivalry predates football, deriving its name from the bloody years of fighting between pro- and anti-slavery factions along the Kansas-Missouri border leading up to the Civil War. Missouri's Big 12 exit interrupted the series until it renewed last year. After 2026, there'll be another hiatus. Ah, realignment," Toppmeyer wrote.
Kansas and Oklahoma State should be considering the SEC and vice versa
If the term "Southeastern" is already being stretched out to include the states of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, what harm is there in adding the Sooner State's other Power 4 program and then extending into the Sunflower State?
It makes no financial sense for the Sooners and Tigers to leave the SEC, so if we're going to treat the "It Just Means More" conference and the Big Ten as the NCAA's "Power 2" conferences, why not just add two more schools with $600+ million valuations?
Kansas and Oklahoma State would obviously benefit from the new branding, while some of the conference's current financial juggernauts will get even richer with their old rivals back on the schedule.
Of course, then the conversation would shift to, 'Well then shouldn't we also add the Baylor Bears, TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and Kansas State Wildcats to keep more rivalries in tact?'
And to that I'd say: yes. Is this not the direction this is all going in anyway?