Thankfully, Someone Put T. Boone Pickens on Camera to Talk about Big 12 School Movement

It must be nice to be Oklahoma State owner mega-benefactor T. Boone Pickens. If an administrator or someone of a lesser position said the things T. Boone Pickens does in the video below, they’d probably get more than just a firm slap on the wrist. But Pickens can buy or sell anyone who disagrees with his candid comments, so he’s in the clear. (And for the record, we love the honesty.) Check out what Pickens had to say to the Austin American Statesman regarding Missouri, Nebraska, TCU, Texas A&M and more.↵
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↵I’m sure the comments about TCU will ruffle the feathers of some Horned Frogs fans, but sometimes the truth hurts. TCU was averaging 34,247 fans late last season -- just 77 percent of the 44,358-person capacity at the team’s stadium -- and that was with the team firmly entrenched in the top five nationally. Perhaps that number would increase with better opponents visiting TCU, but it doesn’t present a strong case to stand alongside Texas, Oklahoma and other giants of the Big 12.↵↵He’s probably not wrong about Nebraska and its somewhat negligible TV market if this chart is to be believed. The Nebraska faithful will travel, but they don’t necessarily represent a big get for the Big Ten Network when it comes to TVs.↵

↵↵Pickens went in on Mizzou even further in a Statesman piece:↵

↵↵⇥“If Missouri stays, that’s fine,” Pickens said. “But I want them to shut up about trying to figure out someplace to go. They’re either a loyal member or they’re out with me.”↵↵↵If you take a minute to cut past some of the bluster from Pickens, you see the simple, undiluted truth. With all of the double talk around conference realignment, it’s actually kind of refreshing.↵

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