In case you missed it, the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns will not be in the Big 12 conference after this season. The two teams are bound for the SEC.
The Longhorns and Sooners have brought relevance to the Big 12 through ratings and talent acquisition. Upon their departure, other members of the conference will have to pick up the slack.
The Big 12 is set to lose several viewers without its weekly Texas and Oklahoma games. Both teams bring eyes to TVs that other league members don’t command.
Proponents of the remaining members would point to TCU’s playoff victory as proof the Big 12 gets it done on the field without elite recruiting. Unfortunately, unless the conference has another strong showing, it may not be afforded the opportunity the playoff committee gave the Horned Frogs.
Let’s look at five things the Big 12 needs to accomplish to thrive without Oklahoma and Texas.