The World-Herald has obtained an early copy of the itinerary for Big 12 media days in Dallas. Looks like a full docket of fun.
1 p.m. Monday: Nebraska coach Bo Pelini will explain the traditions and rivalries of the Big Ten Conference and discuss why the Big Ten is the best conference in college football. Pelini also will break down the Ohio State band dotting the “i.''
7 p.m. Monday: Cocktail reception for Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, sponsored by Fox Sports Net and ESPN. Catered by the universities of Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Iowa State. Valet courtesy of Baylor and Texas Tech.
11 a.m. Tuesday: Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville will host a roundtable discussion on conference revenue sharing with Texas President Bill Powers, Oklahoma President David Boren and Missouri President Gary Forsee.
1 p.m. Tuesday: State of the Big 12 address, Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds.
3 p.m. Tuesday: Discussion of Big 12 officiating and clock management, including tour of the clock-keeper booth at Cowboys Stadium, Walt Anderson, Big 12 coordinator of football officials.
7 p.m. Tuesday: Pac-10 reception hosted by Colorado. Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Kansas invited.
11 a.m. Wednesday: Discussion on future Big 12 football schedules, with Mack Brown and Bob Stoops.
The last Big 12 media days as we know them start Monday, and while it's entirely possible that none of those things may occur, it's entirely true that this last supper will be awkward.
Explosive? Probably not. Big 12 interview days are typically not eventful because most football coaches take pride in saying nothing. Somebody might snap and say something juicy, but they'll most likely plead the Fifth, since all the drama of June played out over their heads. Also, the four Big 12 coaches each day hurriedly go through the media line and are back on the private jet home without seeing one another. So there goes the-fight-in-the-back-hallway angle.
That doesn't mean there won't be moments. There will. Start with Pelini on Monday afternoon. Pelini will get bombarded with questions about the move to the Big Ten — the recruiting and competitive angles especially — since he has not addressed the matter to any extent yet. That's by choice. Pelini put a no-interview moratorium on himself, staff and NU players this summer because he was upset at coverage over a Niles Paul incident that nobody can remember now anyway.
It says here Bo just didn't want to do interviews this summer. But now he's got questions backlogged, including some about an NU marketing video and the Oct. 16 Texas game. He'll probably pass on that one. But what should be great fun is hearing Pelini talk about the virtues of the Big Ten on the first day of Big 12 media days. That will be a nice touch. Appropriate this year, too.
All eyes and ears will be on Tuberville on Tuesday. He took his shot at the Big 12, and Texas, this summer. He got his reprimand. Will he back off? What will Commissioner Dan Beebe say later that day? Won't the same issues be rehashed again?
It's unavoidable this year. There's not much football to divert the conversation. The Big 12 looks seriously devoid of super teams or super stars. That's ironic for a league that has had major star power in its short history. Bad timing, too, for those TV negotiations next spring.
In the end, this week will be a microcosm of the last Big 12-as-we-knew-it season: lots of talk about the Big 12's future, some memorable moments, tension and emotion. This former Big Eight skywriter will start the process of saying goodbye to friends and colleagues. Mostly, the whirlwind stories that blew breathlessly through June will begin settling into the reality of what just happened. For that reason alone, this week isn't likely to be uneventful.
But if the Pac-10 commissioner wants to drop by and shake things up, that will be OK, too.
Contact the writer:
444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com
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