u/Wyo11

First, I love the new iteration of the Big XII and the parity in the conference is unreal. The fact Arizona was able to pull off 9 wins this past season shocks me and I definitely think futures are bright for a lot of schools.

I am seeing though a very similar trend perception wise to what the Pac 12 went through. Lots of good teams that beat up on eachother and very little elite teams that have the juice to make a playoff run.

In the entirety of the playoff era, only one Big XII team has won a playoff game (TCU vs Michigan in Jan 2023). This includes multiple appearance by Oklahoma and one by Texas when they were still Big XII members. The playoff record since 2014 is 1-9.

What will it take for the Big XII to start winning playoff games? I would imagine the degree of first round exits surely does not do the perception of the conference by the rest of CFB.

Honest question. He is vehement that the J'6ers were wrongly prosecuted and is trying to crodwsource a government repirations fund for them. Has he ever once said his thoughts are with the Epstein victims? One source of him saying something like that, I'm just asking for one.

American here, I'm fascinated with the fact that Australia gets opposite seasons and am opposite sun path as the US. (I know this is probably a weird thing to be fascinated by but I've always loved studying and observing where the sun is at various times of day and at that time of year).

We are getting close to the solstice, where for us, the sun will be as high as it ever gets at noon in whereas you'll have the lowest high point in June. And even crazier to me is the fact your sun is mostly traveling across the northern sky whereas ours travels across the southern. And weirder yet how in your summer the sun rises in the southeast and sets in the southwest whereas in our winter that happens etc.

If you could share pictures of anytime of day and year of the sun being out outside and just mention what direction it's facing and what time of day it was, that would be really cool.

Is it just me or is Vail oddly and specificly eccentric?

I'm talking, folks who voted MAGA because they think Wifi and 5G interfere with the nervous system? That certain strong, calm conviction where ideas such as believing artificial scents cause lung cancer so they use creosote soap and prickly pear toothpaste are just a part of everyday life.

It's like this paranoia about the world which is why they chose to live in a suburb that's tucked deep in the very corner that the Rincon (Spanish for corner) Mountains are named for, but they are actually pretty chill and welcoming so long as you don't actually move there and infringe upon any more desert they've claimed as their own?

Or is it just me?

Not only was a plane waiting to take Lloyd to Chapel Hill (he threatened to use it unless he reported immediately to the U of A president which is why the UA president chartered a flight there) but two players were so angry that Lloyd had failed to hold a walk through on Thursday before the game, as he was negotiating and making these demands with the president instead, they both comitted to declaring that night. This was a huge part of why the energy and focus was absolutely missing during the game against Michigan and also why the turnover on the team after the end of the season was unusually high with declarations and transfers despite an increase of "roster cash."

You ever drive at night and just get a really bad feeling? Even if nothing bad happens, it spooks you and rattles you and there perhaps even persists a residual feeling when the drive is complete.

What drives or states or sections of states do you encounter this?

As a Wyoming native, WY-34 in Sybille Canyon at night scared the hell out of me sometimes. It was just a foreboding and creepy feeling.

Basically each state has scenic areas (usually) and not so scenic areas.

What are the bleakest, hardest to drive through section of states you have been to? I'll put some from out west where I'm from along with a bleak drive that I've done to exemplify it:

California: southeastern CA (Coachella to Blythe on I-10).

Arizona: southwestern AZ (Yuma to Gila Bend on I-8)

Colorado: eastern plains (I-70 from Limon to KS state line)

Wyoming: central (Shoshoni to Casper on US-26)

Utah: northwestern (NV state line to the Great Salt Lake)

(Refer to posts on Big XII Sports Talk for timeline)

Kerr called the university president when Lloyd threatened to leave Indianapolis for Chapel Hill and the pres was going to accept an immediate resignation because he was not on board with Lloyd reporting directly to him.

Kerr allegedly rallied a booster pool for roster cash which was allegedly one of Lloyd's other demands. The president flew to Indianapolis and the deal was worked out Thursday night.

So Lloyd strongarmed his bag but where's the cash? 2 of the guys that declared wanted to work out a deal to stay and run it back but Lloyd wanted to pursue Europe and encouraged them to declare.

It was just reported today that U of A is $10 mil behind Kentucky in roster cash.

Where's the cash?

Just saw on Big XII Sports Talk FB page an insider account of how much went down during the Final 4 that was NOT game prep for Michigan.

1. Lloyd was ready to accept the UNC position unless he no longer reported to his rightful supervisor.

2. The president scoffed at this and was going to decline until Steve Kerr called him and called boosters to apply pressure. This is completely unprecedented in college sports to bypass the AD.

3. The president FLEW TO INDIANAPOLIS to hold several discussions with Lloyd. Lloyd also was on several calls with UNC and almost flew to Chapel Hill until the president showed up.

4. M

Jedd Fisch left the U of A football program in shards with his charade during the holidays of 2023.

Desiree Francois Reed flipped a massive budget deficit at the U of A and has gotten both football and men's basketball solvent and in the top 25 despite numerous challenges. One of her key decisions was bringing in Brent Brennan.

Many doubted his hiring and his first season was not great but they collaborated and made decisions to work out a better staff and football was back to the heights of the Fisch era at its end.

Being a longtime U of A fan, it's so exciting to see football no longer on the back burner to other sports. Football is the king of brand and revenue generation and I'm so excited for our future. Brennan and DRF are doing great things for Tucson and southern Arizona.

Jedd Fisch left the U of A football program in shards with his charade during the holidays of 2023.

Desiree Francois Reed flipped a massive budget deficit at the U of A and has gotten both football and men's basketball solvent and in the top 25 despite numerous challenges. One of her key decisions was bringing in Brent Brennan.

Many doubted his hiring and his first season was not great but they collaborated and made decisions to work out a better staff and football was back to the heights of the Fisch era at its end.

Being a longtime U of A fan, it's so exciting to see football no longer on the back burner to other sports. Football is the king of brand and revenue generation and I'm so excited for our future. Brennan and DRF are doing great things for Tucson and southern Arizona.

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TUCSON, AZ - The Arizona Wildcats’ national title hopes unraveled dramatically in their Final Four loss to Michigan, as frustration boiled over on the court and questions about leadership surfaced afterward.

Multiple Arizona players showed visible signs of emotional exhaustion during the second half, with heated exchanges, missed defensive assignments, and body language that reflected a team struggling to stay composed under pressure. Michigan capitalized immediately, turning Arizona’s mistakes into a decisive run that effectively ended the Wildcats’ season.

In the aftermath, frustration reportedly extended beyond the game itself. Several players were allegedly feeling disconnected from head coach Tommy Lloyd during the pressure-filled stretch of the tournament, believing the program lacked the support and direction needed when adversity hit hardest. While no player publicly criticized Lloyd directly, sources around the program described a growing sense that some athletes felt they were navigating the moment on their own.

That disappointment allegedly played a role in several draft declarations that followed the season. For some players, the decision to leave early was about more than basketball opportunity — it was about seeking a fresh start and a more stable environment as they prepared for the next level.

Despite another deep tournament run, the loss to Michigan left lingering questions about Arizona’s ability to handle high-pressure moments emotionally and whether stronger leadership could have kept the Wildcats together for another championship push.

My source is saying on the inside tension is a lot more than it seems, especially on the basketball front. I guess not everyone is particularly thrilled with the amount of money coming out of the boosters coffers only to not have retained as much roster as expected. The lingering sour taste from Michigan hasn't helped.

First I love the Big XII and I love that it's a competitive home for a bunch of misfits with no big bullies calling shots or pulling big purse strings.

As I see it the Big XII is fighting an uphill battle of perception where the Big Dog conferences, media, and pollsters are just waiting for the shoe to drop and proclaim us a weak conference worthy of less bids.

As much as I detest and defend against the negative bias against the conference it is a tough pill to swallow to see Texas Tech get absolutely shellacked and their vaunted offense score 0 against Oregon in the Orange Bowl and my own Arizona Wildcats suffer pure humiliation against Michigan in one of the most lopsided Final 4s in history?

How and when can the Big XII pull through in the big sports and get some hardware?

It is truly remarkable to see the strides the athletics department has made in supporting football as a workable product that is nationally relevant.

Despite a massive budget deficit and Jedd Fisch fiasco, The U of A has finished the season ranked TWICE out of the last 3 years with wins over AsSU.

Huge kudos to Brent Brennan too for his hard work and making the right choices at the right time and to our entire athletics department and leadership for committing to putting football at the forefront, which should be the path forward as it is the way of the future.

Bear Down!