By Randy Galloway
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
In times of disagreement and animosity, the “let it go and move on” philosophy has never been a personal strength, so it won’t be me this morning throwing stones at the glass house of one DeLoss Dodds.
But as politely as possible, I would say to DeLoss:
Shut the bleep up with your Aggie-phobia. The more you answer the questions, the more petty you come across, and I don’t mean Richard or Tom.
Galloway and Big Mac: Cowboys optimismNothing personal, DeLoss. It’s just an opinion of an admittedly flawed outside observer who wonders when you will let it go and move on.
Mr. Dodds, of course, is the athletic director at the University of Texas who was once considered the most powerful AD in the college land. And while the man has had some teeth yanked over the last couple of years, losing a little bite, he’s still got some kick left.
This week, the UT student newspaper asked Dodds if and when the good-for-us-all-good-for-football rivalry with Texas A&M would resume.
Remaining consistently arrogant with his answer, DeLoss said: “They left. They’re the ones who decided not to play us. We get to decide when we play again. I think that’s fair.”
But in a somewhat different twist, Dodds then hid behind the Longhorns’ fandom.
Continuing his answer: “If you did a survey of our fans about playing A&M, they don’t want to. It’s overwhelming. I know. I hear it...I think there’s too many hard feelings.”
Well, first, not once as the Aggies were departing the Big 12 did anyone in College Station say the rivalry with UT was over. It was just the opposite. School officials repeatedly said, with the move to the SEC, A&M wanted to continue the game, and if it could no longer happen at Thanksgiving, pick another date.
Second, if DeLoss is actually listening to his fan base, I’d like to know what his poll says on Mack Brown continuing as head coach.
But these are tough times for Dodds. Shockingly, the Aggies became the national talk of college football in their first SEC season. The Longhorns, after the last couple of seasons, just hope they are still talked about in Austin.
Based on current conditions, DeLoss should have a wet finger in the air, and be playing the wind. If he doesn’t want to play A&M again, a much more diplomatic answer to the question would come across better.
DeLoss had the PR hammer as the Aggies departed. In a one-eighty, the Aggies now have the hammer.
The rivalry, at some point — probably after DeLoss retires — will continue. It should continue. Everyone knows that.
The other Big 12 schools who lost the Aggies on their schedule also know that. Well, almost all of them.
Kirby Hocutt, the Texas Tech AD, told the Lubbock newspaper this week he is hopeful the Red Raiders can schedule A&M again. “It was a fun rivalry, a good rivalry, and one in the future we can begin again.”
Chris Del Conte, the TCU AD, had the same opinion when I asked him Thursday, although with a different twist.
“Most everyone in the state was sad to see Texas A&M leave the Big 12, but here at TCU we were going, ‘Adios, boys,’” he said, laughing.
The Aggies’ departure, of course, opened the door for TCU to join the Big 12.
“Look,” continued Del Conte, “what drives the passion in college football are the regional rivalries. It’s always interesting to play a team from another part of the country, but our game is built on regional rivalries.
“We now have that again at TCU, except for A&M. Would I love to schedule A&M again? Absolutely.”
Del Conte has completed the Frogs’ schedule through 2020, with LSU, Ohio State and Arkansas coming up. And then there’s also talk in the Big 12 of a scheduling alliance with the ACC.
“But getting games with A&M is always something you’d want to try to work out,” said Del Conte.
The other Big 12 school is Baylor, and a comment Thursday from Ian McCaw, the AD, made it difficult to read his interest.
“We are full through 2020, so Baylor won’t be playing Texas A&M in football in the near term,” was the McCaw reply given to a prominent Baylor official, then relayed to me.
So that’s that, I guess. Of course, if you go back to the turbulent days of the Big 12, before interim Commissioner Chuck Neinas came in and stabilized everything, big-time bad blood developed at the executive levels of the two schools.
Baylor President Ken Starr was throwing around lawsuit talk against the Aggies when it appeared Baylor might be left out if a portion of the Big 12 teams moved to other conferences.
If Baylor is totally ruling out playing the Aggies again, that goes even beyond Dodds’ statements this week. He left the door slightly open, except for saying the resumption of the rivalry would be on Texas’ terms and time frame.
Not good, DeLoss. Back off. Let the hate go and move on.
Randy Galloway can be heard 3-6 p.m. weekdays on Galloway & Co. on ESPN/103.3 FM. Randy Galloway, 817-390-7697 Twitter: @sportsdfw
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