Article from the Oklahoman by columnist Berry Tramel on Oklahoma State's athletic history and conference affiliation:

https://oklahoman.com/article/5661457/os...WgER0dcM0E

In the article, it mentions that the details of the Big Six split from the Missouri Valley have been lost to history, but that the Big Six schools weren't happy that Oklahoma A&M won the 1926 championship playing only four conference games in a 10 team conference with an eight game conference schedule.

Side note from the article: When the University of Chicago left the Big Ten in 1940, Nebraska was mentioned as a replacement.

Poor Oklahoma St. I imagine their history could have been a lot brighter had they just stayed in the SWC. They probably would have still been there when conversations regarding the creation of the Big 12 happened began in 1994. They probably still become part of that partial merger but I think the dynamics of those negations might be a little different.

I wonder if the Big 7 ever add someone to become the Big 8.

Maybe if the SWC schools are negotiating with a Big 7 if the result is a Big 14?

Another thought: if 2 of Oklahoma’s 3 biggest rivals are in the SWC (Texas and Oklahoma St) maybe there’s a chance that Oklahoma decides to rejoin the SWC at some point. Maybe they bring some Big 6/7 friends with them.

If the Oklahoma schools aren’t in the Big 6/7/8 then I wonder what the others do? Ramp up the pleading with the Big Ten? Add some of those state schools that revolved in and out of the MVC (Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, etc) or do they dig deeper into to Rocky Mountains than Colorado?

(05-19-2020 02:52 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Poor Oklahoma St. I imagine their history could have been a lot brighter had they just stayed in the SWC. They probably would have still been there when conversations regarding the creation of the Big 12 happened began in 1994. They probably still become part of that partial merger but I think the dynamics of those negations might be a little different.

I wonder if the Big 7 ever add someone to become the Big 8.

Maybe if the SWC schools are negotiating with a Big 7 if the result is a Big 14?

During their time in the Missouri Valley, OAMC excelled in basketball under Henry Iba. They won two national championships in the 40's. They also became a wrestling power. Their football program struggled.

Hindsight is 20/20, but OAMC/OSU would have been better off staying in the SWC. A SWC with OSU is a 8 team conference before Texas Tech is added in 1960, and Houston is added in 1975. Or, if OU decides to leave the Big 6/7 and move back to the SWC, the SWC is full and Houston never gets in.

A SWC with Arkansas, OSU, and OU looks a lot different with 3 schools outside of the state of Texas. Oklahoma and Arkansas are small states, but are nonetheless not in Texas. It could have been in a stronger position for merger talks. On the other hand, OU and OSU were both on probation at the same time the SWC schools were in the 90's when the SWC broke up.

OSU's goal was always to be with OU and their peers in the Big 6/7. It finally happened in 1958.

It all worked out. Today, they are where they would have been all along.