The generation which is in college now grew up with "Sesame Street" and "Barney." So the students are all familiar with of one of the staples of "Big Bird's" jingles. "Three of these things belong together, but one of those things doesn't." The game teaches similarities and differences to the younger crowd. So why then can't college football get it right?

The Big 12 Conference is made up of 11 publicly funded schools. One is not, and it's high time for that school to pull up its stakes and join a conference of similar institutions.
Ever since the Big 12 was created Baylor University has been the doormat. Oh we hear how it competes favorably in sports other than football and in basketball, but in the world of big time college sports, does the public care about non-revenue raising sports? The answer is simple. A resounding no, if it did, the sports wouldn't be "non-revenue raising."
We hear about Baylor's storied past; well there are other former members of the Southwest Conference with storied pasts as well. Rice finally went to a bowl game a couple of years back only to get burned badly by the head coach who immediately jumped ship. SMU has struggled mightily after receiving the "death penalty" and is pinning its hopes on former Hawai'i coach June Jones.

About the only private school which has competed well since the SWC break up is Texas Christian, but the Horned Frogs have played conference "leap frog" in the process.
So here's my suggestion. Hey Big 12, boot out Baylor and invite the University of Houston, yes UH which like the rest of you is a publicly funded institution. The history has long been forgotten. Remember when the Cougars were an independent and the SEC came calling? Only then did the Southwest Conference invite the Cougars to join. Then when UH started to win was there jealousy.

Yes, I remember when the Big 8 was wooing the Texas schools. It didn't want UH because it was on probation and somehow that would tarnish the new conference. How silly a reason was that. The recruiting scandals at all the Southwest Conference schools were shameful, and the Big 8 had its share too. No question UH got the short stick in the breakup, and the athletic program has struggled since.
Now back to Baylor. What if there was a conference of Division 1A private schools? It could include Rice, SMU, TCU and others like Vanderbilt, Tulane or Duke. There is nothing wrong with private institutions competing at a high level collegiately, but there would be less of a campus debate among the "educators" and the "jocks" over what is the true mission of the schools.

No matter how many different head coaches Baylor has hired, the school has shown it cannot compete with the publicly funded schools. It's high time the school bow out, not as losers, but to a conference where it has a chance to win.

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