Much like the picture of The King over there implies, all this conference realignment mumbo jumbo just gives me a headache. At this point in the process, there is WAY too much speculation about what could/should/will/ happen. However, it has lead to an interesting topic that originated in the comments of another story here on C&C Machine. There has been some talk about if OU were to leave the Big 12, whether or not the state of Oklahoma would dictate that OU and OSU be a package deal (much like it's believed Texas would do with the whorns and aTm). Now I'm really not interested in getting into the legalities of it, but I am interested in what my fellow Sooner fans would think about possibly splitting up OU and OSU.
If (and admittedly at this point it's a big if) for the scenario I'm proposing, OU and OSU were split up and Nebraska were to accept an offer from the Big 10. Would you prefer OU maintained the Bedlam series, which OU has completely dominated (81-16-7), or would you prefer OU renewed it's annual clash with Nebraska?
Personally, when your "rival" would have to beat you 65 years in a row just to draw the series even can you really even call them a "rival?" Now don't get me wrong, I love beating the Pukes every year to close out our season but I really miss the Nebraska rivalry. For me, splitting up OU and NU was one of the worst things about the Big 12 and that's coming from someone who is barely old enough to remember some of those great games from the 70s and 80s. There's a level of respect among (most) OU and NU fans which I believe is due to many reasons, but one important reason being NU proved a more than worthy adversary over the years. That same level of respect does not exist among OU and OSU fans also for many reasons, but for essentially the exact opposite reason of the Huskers. OSU has never proved, as evidenced by the all time series record referenced above, to be a worthy opponent yet expect to receive a similar level of respect simply due to the fact that we both reside in the same state.
So Sooner fans, I ask you. Which rivalry would you prefer?
Side note - this could really be it's own FanPost, but feel free to address it in the comments. If the Big 12 were to remain in existence, would you prefer the conference to realign the divisions to split up OU and TX? From where I sit, it makes no sense to have the two best teams year in and year out not fight over one spot to get to a game and destroy whatever sacrificial lamb the North offers up that year. Wouldn't it make more sense to realign, put OU in the North and let OU and TX match up in the conference championship game every year? I realize this isn't exactly a new idea (nor is it without flaws), but given all the talk of expansion it would seem that now is as good a time as any to actually make this happen.
Discuss.