Well, it looks like Oklahoma got one of their concessions. Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports is reporting that Dan Beebe, the commissioner of the Big 12 will be removed from his position on Thursday. Former Big Eight commissioner Chuck Neinas is the probable interim replacement according to Dodd.
To say Beebe was under the microscope is an understatement. His job has been on the line for the better part of the last year. Beebe was constantly criticized by all media outlets for letting Colorado and Nebraska leave the conference. Basically, Beebe failed in his sole goal of keeping the conference together. To me, that is a definite grounds for removal.
With the removal of Beebe, maybe all this expansion/realignment talk goes away. If the Big 12 has stable leadership and the schools plan to stay in the conference, maybe losing Texas A&M is the worst thing that will happen to them this year. I won’t say college athletics is on stable ground just yet, but it is moving back that way. Not at an extremely fast pace, but a pace nonetheless.
For all the good that Beebe may have done, it was all undone by letting schools leave. His main error was bending over backwards to please Texas. This alienated other schools, which has put the Big 12 on life support. He may have thought it was the best plan of action at the time, but there is no doubt that it was a horrible move in hindsight. Maybe Neinas can keep the conference together and college athletics can stay stable for at least another month or so. Change is coming, but this just may slow it up.
We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.