2009-10 Big 12 Standings
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As the sun rises on the final calendar year of Nebraska's membership in the Big 12, recall Tom Osborne's words on the landmark day last month that NU announced it would jump to the Big Ten in July 2011.
“It may not be a real easy year for us on the athletic field,” the Nebraska athletic director said in reference to the approaching months.
Tough for Nebraska?
Try coaching at Iowa State. Or playing at Kansas State.
Results of the 2009-10 Big 12 composite standings support the hard-to-argue conclusion reached in recent weeks that a powerful minority dominates the 15-year-old league.
Texas A&M, for the first time in Big 12 history, finished atop the all-sports standings, compiled by The World-Herald. The Aggies collected six Big 12 titles and 170 points, followed by nine-time winner Texas (167), Nebraska (142) and Oklahoma (136).
The top four won 18 of 27 Big 12 regular-season and postseason crowns in the past year.
Balance? Look somewhere else.
In the past decade, Texas, Texas A&M and Nebraska have stood among the top four in the standings every year. Oklahoma fit into the group six years out of 10. And just once in league history has the gap between the Big Four and the bottom eight measured as large as now.
That was 2006-07, two years before Missouri rose to second place on the strength of three conference tournament titles after going 11 years without one crown. Mizzou dropped hard this year, showing a 28 percent loss in points to finish sixth.
In other words, it's happening already. And if the developments of the past few weeks provide an indication about the future of the new Big 12, it's only going to get worse.
You want a top heavy, power-driven collection of haves and have nots? Welcome to the Big 12.
So much for competition breeding success.
Oh, well, not Nebraska's problem.
NU athletics enjoyed a strong year, despite five teams that finished among the bottom two in the Big 12 standings. Fifteen Nebraska teams advanced to competition in the NCAA postseason, including the Big 12 champion women's basketball team — which finished the regular season undefeated but lost in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
Notably, individual achievements distinguished 2009-10 at Nebraska. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was named the Associated Press player of the year in football and collected numerous awards to go with his status as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Kelsey Griffin earned unanimous first-team All-America honors in basketball.
Of Nebraska's 29 All-Americans, 20 are targeted to return in 2010-11. Five came from the state of Nebraska, four from Texas and five total from the Big Ten states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
None of this predicts success in the Big Ten for the Huskers. Different competition, playing conditions and recruiting environments will dictate that.
It's easier to forecast that Nebraska's conference switch may shift the balance of power between the two leagues in favor of the Big Ten. In the past year, both leagues placed nine members — split almost exactly even — among the top 50 of the NACDA Director's Cup., which measures overall athletic performance on the NCAA level.
And something else Nebraska can expect anew in 12 months: Balance.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1031, mitch.sherman@owh.com
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