Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy: CU Buffs are “a great fit” for Big 12
Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy fully understands that money drives a lot of the decisions in college athletics these days. He’s also a bit of a traditionalist who misses some of the rivalries of the past. Last week, Colorado announced that it will rejoin the Big 12 Conference in 2024, and for many reasons it’s a move that excites Gundy, who is set to kick off his 19th season as the Cowboys’ head coach.
“Like the other schools that jumped in a year ago, I think it’s a great move,” Gundy, 55, told BuffZone in a phone interview on Tuesday. “Our commissioner (Brett Yormark) has done a fabulous job and Colorado is a really good fit. I’m an old Big Eight guy, Big 12, and I think it’s a really good fit for a variety of reasons.
“I think they’re excited to be in the league and with coach (Deion Sanders) being a part of Colorado football right now, it’s a really good marketing tool for our conference. I’m really excited about Colorado being a part and looking forward to them getting involved. ” Gundy is one of the few people left in the current Big 12 who has memories of playing and/or coaching against the Buffs, who left the Big 12 for the Pac-12 in 2011.
He grew up in Oklahoma and, as an OSU quarterback, played against the Buffs four times from 1986-89 (going 2-2). He then faced the Buffs eight times as an assistant coach and four times as a head coach. “I have really good memories of Colorado,” said Gundy, who is 6-10 against the Buffs as a player and coach.
“I enjoyed going to Boulder and playing. I think it’s a beautiful stadium. I think the setting is very college footballish, for lack of a better term.
” In 2016, CU won the Pac-12 South and faced Gundy’s Cowboys in the Alamo Bowl. OSU rolled to a 38-8 victory, but that game was a fun one for Gundy beyond the score. “It was fun to see the uniforms and the buffalo on the side of the helmet and just the tradition that I’ve been around forever,” he said.
“I remember Colorado back in the ’70s being in the Big Eight. So (CU coming back to the Big 12) is an exciting step for me personally, as well as the Big 12 Conference, in my opinion. ” The old Big Eight became the Big 12 in 1996.
The league has gone through dramatic changes in the past 12 years. CU and Nebraska (Big Ten) left in 2011; Missouri and Texas A&M (SEC) left in 2012; and Oklahoma and Texas (SEC) will leave in 2024. The conference added TCU and West Virginia in 2012 and this year welcomed four newcomers in BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston.
All four of the new teams have enjoyed strong success in football in recent years, as Gundy points out, but he does think adding a Power Five conference school in CU is big. “There’s so much marketability and status now with social media and people have a perception and perceptions are very important,” he said. “Everybody (that came in this year) brought something to the table.
And then Colorado’s tradition, their history, their location, the familiarity with this conference, and them being a Power Five is a huge step. Another step for the Big 12. ” It’s not the last step, though.
When BuffZone went to Big 12 media day in Arlington, Texas, on July 12, Gundy told this reporter off to the side, “Looks like you’re getting ready to be in our conference. ” Asked about that comment Tuesday, Gundy said, “I had a really good idea (the Buffs) were coming. … I know enough people now and I’ve been in this league a long time, and I have a pretty good idea of what’s going on and there’s going to be more.
This commissioner, as I mentioned to you down there, he’s the most innovative commissioner right now in all sports in my opinion. Because of that, I think this is gonna roll; this thing’s gonna go on for a while until he gets what he thinks is best in the long term for the Big 12 Conference, and we’re lucky we have him. ” In the wake of CU’s decision to join the Big 12, there has been speculation that Arizona and perhaps others from the Pac-12 could follow the Buffaloes.
Like CU, schools are searching for stability and a way to maximize revenue for the future. That stability is what CU athletic director Rick George cited as a main reason for the Buffaloes’ return to the Big 12. Renewing some old rivalries adds to the excitement.
“I’m thrilled that coach Sanders and Colorado are going to be a part of the Big 12,” Gundy said. “I’m looking forward to reestablishing those relationships and having fun playing in the future. “There’s a lot of reasons that Colorado is a great fit and we’re glad to have them back.
” .