sports

Florida to Washington, divisions can help with geography and keeping rivalries alive.

In the (rudimentary named) West Division, we’ll have Pac-12 deserters Washington, Oregon, Washington State and Utah, with Texas rivals TCU and Baylor — who also joined the conference together. Yes, I know Texas Tech is more west than TCU and Baylor, but this is more for competition. And Lubbock isn’t that much farther than Fort Worth and Waco for teams coming from the northwest.

In the East Division (the names have to match, OK), it’ll be Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State, Cincinnati and UCF. These all make sense. TTU and OSU are rivals, KU and KSU are rivals, and UCF and Cincinnati have the opportunity to become rivals with each of the other four teams. And the four legacy teams are within a few hours of another.

Step 5: Stick up for the little guys.

The Big 12 will likely never be the best football conference like it was known for with Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado. With the SEC and Big Ten taking that title, the Big 12 could rebrand into a good football conference with excellent secondary sports.

Basketball is obviously a sport it’s prioritizing. But the Big 12 could also push for more men’s and women’s lacrosse, soccer, volleyball and Olympic sports like swimming and gymnastics. The Big 12 is vastly different from school-to-school in terms of which sports are played.

Implementing more official sports could create more competition between every school in the conference. That’s what Yormark is trying to do, isn’t it?

sports.ed@ocolly.com

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The Cowboys went 29-3 in games they scored above eight runs and 12-17 when they failed to do so. OSU scored eight total on the weekend. Even then, the offense can’t shoulder all the blame. The pitching staff didn’t allow a hit through three innings against DBU on Saturday but collapsed in the next four innings, giving up six home runs and 18 runs.

“For months –February, March, April, May – we’ve done a lot of great things on the field together,” Holliday said. “This tournament, we simply did not have our rhythm, or we weren’t able to put winning baseball together in either game.

“But right now, all the disappointment, the hurt, the embarrassment and all the things that our kids are feeling is overwhelmingly strong.”

The Cowboys started the year 22-7 and climbed to a top-15 ranking before dropping two consecutive conference series during a 1-6 stretch that knocked them out of the rankings. They climbed back into the Big 12 title race with a 14-3 record during the final month, finishing the regular season with a series victory against OU. But the season ends on a three-game losing streak and a blowout loss on their home field. No super regional. No College World series or trophy.

“If the only way you can celebrate and appreciate a club is simply by the final result of the last game, there’ll be a lot of empty seasons in a lot of people’s hearts,” Holliday said. “So, I would hope they would have a bigger view of the club and appreciate all the effort that went into it.”

But perhaps the bigger view is what makes it worse. The Cowboys had potential. They overcame the midseason slump and finished strong with a share of their first regular season conference title since 2014. They made the championship game in Arlington. They hit the 100 home-run mark for the first time since 1999. They had series wins against OU and Texas.

The season still ended shy of their expectations.

Holliday met with his team for a brief postgame huddle Sat- urday and told them to not let the numbness and emptiness from a disappointing regional be the lasting memory of this OSU team.

“We’re all disappointed in how it all ended, but I don’t think anyone will ever be satisfied until you go win the final game,” Holliday said. “Obviously, we’re not proud of the nature of the game today, but I can’t sit here and be unappreciative of the effort of the ball club and the way they represented us, or the way they played in many stretches during the season.”

At some point, the sting will wear down and Holliday will get a better evaluation of the season. But capping off a conference championship season in blowout fashion in Stillwater will be a tough one to shake.

“A disappointing finish, sure,” Holliday said. “Everyone has the right to view the team and the season in whichever way they wish. I will always view this team through all the good things that they did and all the moments that made us proud. And sure, we’re all gonna have a scar from this. There’s no question. There’s just no way around that.”