What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.
This week, go inside the Brock Purdy/Senior Bowl snub, the UConn problem is solved (for now) and a modest proposal that could help the Big 12 and the Pac-12 (I mean, Pac-12).
‘MR. IRRELEVANT’S’ SENIOR BOWL BACK STORY
As the NFL season kicks off this week I’ve been immersing myself in getting ready for the season, as I write for an NFL site now (Jets Country at On SI). That led me to transcribe a podcast featuring Anthony Becht, the former Jets tight end who is also the father of current Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht (congrats on winning the Cy-Hawk, by the way, Ames — I’ll see you in a month for the UCF game).
Of course, the Bechts know San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy. His rise helped secure Rocco Becht’s commitment to the Cyclones. Anthony just happens to be the new radio analyst for the Jets and they’re facing Purdy’s 49ers on Monday.
As many Cyclones fans know, Purdy wasn’t invited to the Senior Bowl coming out of college. That MAY have led to him falling all the way to the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, making him ‘Mr. Irrelevant.” Well, entering his third season he’s already taken the 49ers to a Super Bowl.
That led Anthony Becht to tell a story he said he hasn’t told often, as he did the “blind stat line” test with the man who runs the Senior Bowl, Jim Nagy.
“I remember he wasn’t invited to the Senior Bowl and at that point I was heavy into college football, just following guys and especially Iowa State,” he said, noting that he was an ESPN college football analyst at the time. “I remember DM’ing Jim Nagy who’s the director of the Senior Bowl and I sent him a list of all of these different accomplishments by a Power 5 quarterback. I said, ‘If I could send you a quarterback that had all these accomplishments — you know, most wins in school history and in Power 5, all these starts, the yardage, all these numbers, would he be a viable candidate?’”
Nagy’s answer?
“Yeah, absolutely. Who is that?”
Yikes.
“I was like, ‘That’s Brock Purdy,’” Becht said. “How is he not in this game? How is he not playing in the Senior Bowl?”
Nagy has since realized the error of his ways and has admitted it.
But Becht couldn’t help but needle him in the replies.
At day’s end, Purdy didn’t allow the lack of a Senior Bowl invite define him. As he often does, he played his way to, well, relevance.
NOT ENOUGH BIG 12 VOTES FOR UCONN, FOR NOW?
My first instinct when I saw that the Big 12 and UConn were going on pause with realignment discussions was to post the GIF of Thomas Jefferson from “Hamilton.” You know, Cabinet Battle No. 1:
“You don’t have the votes (you don’t have the votes)
Aha-ha-ha ha
You’re gonna need congressional approval and you don’t have the votes.”
I mean, that’s what this boiled down to, right? I think this is something Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark wants, but he doesn’t have enough Big 12 presidents on board. My guess is the further west you go the fewer votes he has.
I still think it’s viable. I think UConn’s football viability can be dealt with. And at this point it needs to come with a package of east coast schools that can also play football. The Big 12 could have done that in a staggered way, but it now feels like they’re playing “wait-and-see” with the ACC. Which, frankly, isn’t a bad strategy.
But, as I’ve been following that legal situation, the Big 12 could be waiting a while.
OREGON STATE AND WASHINGTON STATE’S FUTURE?
Early in the week ESPN reported that Oregon State, Washington State and the Mountain West Conference could not come to an agreement on a scheduling alliance for 2025. So, if that holds, then the Beavers and Cougars would basically play an independent schedule next season.
Last Sunday was the deadline for a new deal. It doesn’t rule out future talks, but a source told ESPN the parties are too far apart and the two schools want flexibility in case things change in the conference landscape. Understandable. It’s also understandable that the Mountain West would want a full commitment for 2025, since they’re baking it into their current schedules.
Does that mean OSU and WSU think things will change in the next few months? I guess one shouldn’t rule it out, but I’m not counting on it.
If the Big 12 doesn’t want to invite the pair, a scheduling alliance wouldn’t be out of line, right? I think that would be a great way to help both parties. OSU and WSU needs games and an alliance would help mitigate complaints about the Big 12’s non-conference schedules (which aren’t any better or worse than other conferences, they just get a bad rap).
What say you? Yay or Nay?
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
