Living in Austin for the last 20 years or so, I’ve learned a thing or two about big time college football, the power brokers and teams that make up the “Joneses”. I’ve learned that Clemson is not one of them, no matter how much some fans want it to be. I’m not saying Clemson can’t be one of them, I’m saying currently Clemson isn’t one of them. That ended sometime around 1990.

It’s true I’ve been half a country removed from the details of what happens at the ACC offices and the slights (both perceived and real) that Clemson fans feel. But I’ve been much closer to what has happened in the Big 12 Conference, and living in Austin and having a large number of acquaintances with University of Texas degrees, the Longhorns in particular.

I’ve watched Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M and Missouri leave the Big 12. Two of those teams probably did so for mostly financial reasons (Colorado and Missouri). The other two – very large, well established nationally recognized football programs were making plenty in the Big 12, but were overshadowed in a variety of ways by Texas (money, power and influence among those) and eventually found the situation untenable.

All that said, in some ways I understand the desire of some to get away from the ACC for a variety of reasons and agree with some of them. But I’m here to tell you that if you think trading the influence of North Carolina in the ACC for the power and influence of Texas (and Oklahoma for that matter) in the Big 12 is going to be a net “win” for Clemson, you are wrong. Dead wrong. Texas’ power and influence runs circles around UNC and makes the Tar Heels look like a proverbial “Mom and Pop” operation.

Four of 12 teams leave the Big 12, including Texas’ arch-rival of over 100 years. Two more (Oklahoma and Oklahoma State) would have left if they had a landing spot.   Even Oklahoma was not wanted by the PAC 12 without Texas.  The defectors are replaced by a small private school that has played in a weak conference and a team desperate to get out of a dying conference. The other 9 teams are cash poor and desperate enough to stay to feed off of the Texas brand, no matter what that means on the field (long-term). This is the conference that Clemson should join?

Ah yes, there would be more money. Many conveniently forget there would also be more travel which cost. Baseball and women’s basketball in Lubbock, Texas and Manhattan, Kansas. Basketball games in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Can’t wait for that road trip. For every Duke in the ACC there is an Iowa State in the Big 12. The Big 12 sees your Maryland Terrapins football and raises you with the Kansas Jayhawks football.

Just today there’s a piece in the Austin American-Statesman by Kirk Bohls (Texas graduate by the way) asking if the new Big 12 commissioner (who by the way called Texas the 800 pound gorilla of college athletics that can’t be ignored) was a “Texas man”.  A companion piece from Randy Riggs includes this quote from the new Commish: “They’re a big, muscular program and a big, muscular university, and we’re always going to have to make sure that we’re listening to that which they believe.”  Perhaps you favor this one:  ”I have been very impressed with their magnanimity in  terms of thinking of our league going forward.”  He might as well have said, Thank you, Texas for gracing our conference and allowing it to survive.  As hard as these guys try, you can’t read this without thinking “The Texas and Everyone Else Conference” or “Texas and the 9 Dwarfs”.  You can see where this is going.  Texas wanted 10 teams in the Big 12 (no chance of losing that pesky conference championship game this way).  Oklahoma wanted 12.  Guess who won that argument?

If Clemson ends up in the Big 12, which I don’t believe will happen, that’s great news for me personally – I’ll get to see the Tigers in person more often.  But – if you think it’s going to be the end of being in a conference dominated by one or two “800 pound gorillas” you’re mistaken.  Sure, the Big 12 didn’t hire a Texas grad to run the Big 12, but you can bet they hired someone who will “always listen to that which they (Texas) believe”.