Are the boys in Austin scared enough about conference realignment that they would allow The University of Houston into the Big 12? Many sports radio hosts and writers have chalked up the realignment stories to just rumors. Richard Justice on the other hand is not just another sports writer for the Houston Chronicle – he’s the face of UT sports in the largest city in Texas.
Like most UT writers, fans and alums any mention of UH as an equal is, by a sacred blood oath rule, crushed and ignored to protect their myopic sports history egos. The big boys let UH into the party once before and they proved far too troublesome to ever let back into the house again. So when Austin’s man, a man who routinely bashes the University of Houston with the gusto mandated by the Austin crowd, decides to write that UH deserves mention in any expansion/replenishment of the Big 12 then something is afoot. You can read his full post here.
“…in considering whether the second invitation ought to go to BYU, Boise State or some other school, I’m going to vote for UH. I’ve seen how hard Dave Maggard and Mack Rhoades have worked to make UH competitive, and in some cases, to convince UH administrators that the Coogs deserve a chance.I think Rhoades is on his way to raising the money to overhaul UH’s facilities, and I think UH has a school president that understands sports can make a significant contribution to UH campus life and UH visibility around the country.
I know there are a thousand reasons not to take UH, but I’d hope Texas and Texas A&M would take the side of a large state school, would try to convince Big 12 bosses that UH would be worth a gamble.”
Now that statement might seem small, almost insignificant to most readers outside of Texas, but it should send shockwaves through the fans of The University of Houston and several other universities in the Big 12. Richard Justice is the UT guy working for a paper, the Houston Chronicle, that is almost an extension of the UT school paper when it comes to sports. For the die hard UH fans the most important selling point is the size of the TV market of Houston. Justice even points this out in his article:
“UH does have the fourth-largest city in the country, and that’s the biggest selling point as I try to make the case that UH should be invited into the Big 12 if Missouri and Nebraska bolt for the Big Ten.”
That is the one card UH can play at the table of any conference realignment. You think the SEC wouldn’t just love to trump the Big 12 and be on TV in Houston each weekend? Houston is a hotbed for football recruiting and inviting UH into their conference gives them the TV market. The Men in Orange know that as well and something tells me they are willing to allow the Red headed stepchild back into thier exclusive party to keep the TV dollars rolling into their coffers.
It’s just the shrewed calculus of the business of big time college sports. Did you know that UT’s athletic programs earned $125 million dollars last year? Story here at CBS Sports. Their football team alone earned $80 million! So allowing UH back into the fold might cost them a few recruits but at their current level of national prominence it’s a small price to pay.
Justice’s column is also smart politics on his part. Although is he first and foremost a UT guy he must endure living in Houston and taking calls from UH alums when he is on the radio. So why not throw out this trial balloon fig leaf and see where it goes. If the movers and shakers at UT want to see what the world thinks of the subject of trading the inclusion of UH for the security of the Houston TV market then how better than to have someone like Richard Justice offer up the idea?
With the PAC 10, MWC and BIG 10 all attempting to work out the best deals for their future some not so often mentioned players such as the University of Houston could benefit. Whatever happens I hope the current UH President and Atheltic Director do a better job than their predecessors at making sure that UH has a chair at a big table when the music stops.
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