Texas needs to go

[keokuk1]

How'd you get the smell of Roquette off?

Funny you say that I was visting my parents house last weekend and they live in West-k half a block from the old Sammy's market. I was standing in the kitchen and thought someone craped there pants until I opened the door and realized it was coming from outside. When you live there and smell it everyday you don't notice it as much but since I haven't lived there is 3 years the smell just wanted to make me vomit.

[ThurgoodMarshal]

Unfortunately texas is the backbone of the big 12......but at least it's better than the entire big ten

[keokuk1]

I'll be honest, I didn't attend the University of Iowa but I still consider myself to be a huge fan. I didn't have the resources to attend college after high school so I went straight to a factory job, now 10 years later I have just recently quit that job and I am going to college (community college), but that's all we can afford. Sorry to ramble but the generalization that you have to be an alumni to be a real fan of a school drives me crazy, yes there are bandwagon fans for every school, some more than others, but just because someone attends a school does not make them more qualified than me. rant done now haha.

I worked in factories for 11 years and when the last factory moved to Mex. I went back to school and became an RN, and it was the best thing I could have done. I just wish I had done it when I was younger, although I leard a lot having lived half my life in poverty so I guess its not all bad.

[CloneFan65]

This thread has derailed, but I'll be happy to jump on any way. After living out of Iowa for the past 15 years my perspective has changed as far as the ISU/Iowa rivalry goes. I was born in Ames, went to grad school at ISU, my mom was an ISU alum, and my dad taught at ISU for 35 years. I was born an ISU fan and always will be. If you replace ISU with U of I and Ames with IC in the sentence before last I'd probably be a hardcore Hawkeye fan. I think the rivalry is great. The jokes, rooting for the other school to lose, etc. But now when I see someone in a Hawkeye hat or with a Hawkeye bumper sticker in my current town I think "It's a fellow Iowan who understands the rivalry, is from my home state, and has something in common with me." I guess I'm at a point where I can root against the Hawkeyes without feeling disdain toward their fans.

[Cyclonestate78]

Not true.

There is room for 1 more hawk contributor but THAT IS IT!!!!

[tm3308]

Here's my take on why iowa fan is so obsessed with this topic. Deep down inside, iowa fan is jealous of ISU. Not because ISU is a better football program, or has a better or more successful athletic department. It is because iowa fan thinks eiu *should be* the only major D1 program in the state. They look around at the majority of big10 schools and see that many of these schools are the one and only major university in their respective states. These states are also much bigger than Iowa as a whole--Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio and now Nebraska (ok, neb isn't bigger, but I digress). Why should almighty iowa have to put up with a second major D1 program, that face it, takes away some attention from them and who they've always seen and will always see as 'little brother'. When the conference shakeup came last summer, iowa fan couldn't hold back their giddiness at the fact that maybe it was finally happening. Maybe they would finally get their wish. ISU would be left out of the BCS landscape and fall into obscurity. We all know what happened, and Texas was a major reason why there is still a Big 12 and ISU still has a place at the BCS table. Fast forward to the most recent dustup, and here is iowa fan, back and hardly able to disguise the same level of giddiness that the Big 12 is ultimately doomed. They are trying so hard to convince themselves and us that it is going to happen that they have overloaded their pea brains and don't have the ability to see the real facts of the situation. Why A&M and OU aren't going to leave, why it is better for Texas to be in a conference that they can dominate than go to a super-conference or go independent and risk losing that superiority. And on top of all that, iowa fan has to deal with nebraska fan, who they are quickly finding out is their arch-nemesis--almost identical twins, only nebraska fan actually has the history to back it up. On top of all that, ISU is getting paid and will be getting paid even more in a few years. That is definitely going to shrink the gap even further betweeen the two D1 programs in the state.

Amiclose?

1. Illinois also has Northwestern
2. If it's a case of jealousy based on the reason that you provided, then it's not a jealousy of ISU, it's jealousy of Wisky/Minny/Nebby/etc.

[keokuk1]

I just wish that so many ISU fans would understand that not all of us Hawk fans wish them ill. There are some of us that really don't want bad things to happen to ISU. It Pi$$ me off seeing how schools like Texas treat schools like ISU, and I wish ISU fans would realize the the sun doesn't rise and set with Texas. ISU no matter what happens will land on its feet I just feel that ISU and the other smaller schools would be better off without Texas at least in the long run. Not to get political but as Obama said eat your pees now get away from Texas and start to build ally's now that will give you stability in the future.

[Jarrods79]

I just wish that so many ISU fans would understand that not all of us Hawk fans wish them ill. There are some of us that really don't want bad things to happen to ISU. It Pi$$ me off seeing how schools like Texas treat schools like ISU, and I wish ISU fans would realize the the sun doesn't rise and set with Texas. ISU no matter what happens will land on its feet I just feel that ISU and the other smaller schools would be better off without Texas at least in the long run. Not to get political but as Obama said eat your pees now get away from Texas and start to build ally's now that will give you stability in the future.

Here's the thing, the intelligent ones don't...just as much as the intelligent Hawkeye fans don't spew off insults about ISU and parade them as facts. Rivalries create this divide...that is what a rivalry is.

You've been respectful on this thread, and presented your side of things well. Hopefully some of the more well written responses provided a little insight into the all-too-common logic that it would be better for us if Texas went away, or that Nebraska was the victim.

Right now leaving Texas is too idealistic, and not rooted in reality. Of course we would like to have them off our back, but that would actually hurt us more than it would help in the foreseeable future. And frankly it wouldn't feel too good to have been under the tyrannical rule of Texas and then have them leave us in the dust and go to another conference where they would have to play ball by the rules and share their TV revenue.

[ribsnwhiskey]

1. Illinois also has Northwestern
2. If it's a case of jealousy based on the reason that you provided, then it's not a jealousy of ISU, it's jealousy of Wisky/Minny/Nebby/etc.

You make a good point. Maybe it's a case of misplaced jealousy then. Most iowa fans would absolutely love it if ISU was downgraded or eventually just turned into an SUI satellite campus (which will never happen in our lifetime). I do think it has a lot to do with iowa fan thinking ISU hasn't done anything to deserve being at the same table as iowa. Last summer, instead of iowa fan coming to the defense of ISU, or even lobbying for ISU to move to the big10, which is a more natural fit, most were hoping the Big 12 would disband.

Yeah, Northwestern is in Illinois, but it's also a much smaller, private school and the state of Illinois is about 4 or 5 times the size of Iowa re: population base. And Illinois fans don't look at NU in the same way iowa fans look at ISU.

[CloneFan319]

I’m going to start this by saying that I’m a Hawkeye fan so I see this from an entirely different perspective from the outside looking in. If the Big 12 is to survive Texas has to go. The only reason OU, A&M, and others want to leave is because of Texas greed. Texas could care less about anybody but Texas. They are killing the Big 12 slowly but surely. Texas will continue to demand more and more from the rest of the Big 12 schools sucking the life out of them and then when they can’t take anymore they’ll go independent. Everything Texas has done over the past 2 years has been setting them up for that inevitable goal. If the Big 12 is to survive they have to find a way to get Texas out and then attempt to bring in other schools from other conferences to get back to 12. If we have learned anything from the Big Ten it’s this, only when money and power/influence are shared equally can a conference thrive and be strong. I think there are a lot of schools that would be interested in joining a Big 12 that has OU, A&M, and the rest of the Big 12 teams making a strong conference. Again this is coming from someone on the outside looking in. I just feel that unless you get rid of Texas this drama is only going to end badly for ISU and the other smaller schools in the Big 12. I will say it is too bad that ISU can’t get into the Big Ten because when you look at it geographically and culturally you are a good fit for the Big Ten you are also now surrounded by Big Ten schools so it would be a natural fit for both. Again just an outsiders view.

I agree.

[Al_4_State]

You make a good point. Maybe it's a case of misplaced jealousy then. Most iowa fans would absolutely love it if ISU was downgraded or eventually just turned into an SUI satellite campus (which will never happen in our lifetime). I do think it has a lot to do with iowa fan thinking ISU hasn't done anything to deserve being at the same table as iowa. Last summer, instead of iowa fan coming to the defense of ISU, or even lobbying for ISU to move to the big10, which is a more natural fit, most were hoping the Big 12 would disband.

Yeah, Northwestern is in Illinois, but it's also a much smaller, private school and the state of Illinois is about 4 or 5 times the size of Iowa re: population base. And Illinois fans don't look at NU in the same way iowa fans look at ISU.

I think you're on to a lot of it. Iowa fans want to think that Iowa is the only thing anyone in the state cares about, athletically speaking, but it isn't true. As long as ISU is an AQ conference, ISU is on the same level as Iowa (even clearly not as successful) and that requires a level of respect that Iowa fan doesn't want to give ISU.

If ISU were to drop to to a non-AQ league, Iowa would be the only thing that mattered. A lot of ISU fans would probably even start following Iowa to an extent. It would truly make their program the only one that mattered. Which is what they'd love to see.

[Scantron]

In a perfect world Texas leaving would be a great thing....I agree with that. However, there is one major thing that makes ISU and the others need Texas to stay around...money. The only reason that ISU and the others are getting more TV money is because the presence of Texas in the Big 12 increases the TV value of the Big 12 significantly. Without Texas our TV deal would tank. The only way the Big 12 is viable is if Texas is a part of it...period.

I hate it but the truth hurts!

[laxtonto]

I hate to be blunt, but most likely if Texas leaves ISU stands a a decent probability of losing their BCS tie in..

Very simply where would UT's other sports play if they went independent? That pretty much kills that thinking from the get go.. If they aren't going independent then the age of superconferences are upon us. That really does not shake out well for ISU.

[Tre4ISU]

Here's my honest opinion about Hawk fans as it relates to the Big 12 thing:

I believe I have made my opinion known on how I feel about Cyclone fans rooting for the failure of Iowa instead of simply rooting for our success. I don't like it. I don't like the fact that we are constantly measuring ourselves against Iowa. I don't like it when we feel better when Iowa losses than we win. That said, Iowa is doing the same thing right now albeit to a different extent.

My belief is that right now, I think Iowa feels a pressure that maybe they haven't felt in 10-15 years. I think they see what CPR is doing. I think they can see that, in time, our program could become something that they have to take very seriously all of the time. Yes, I know we beat them 5 times in a row but that was in the early KF years. Since their maturation, if you will, they have not had to neccesarily worry about ISU. Could we beat them? Sure, but as the last 3 years have shown, we haven't been near them. I think that's changing and I think they can see that. I'm not saying I think they think they will be our *****, but I think they see we are improving. Then they look at basketball. They see the talent we have put together and see there is reason to be excited in Ames. They don't have that positivity. Fran has gotten some good players and that team played hard but when compared to the talent ISU will put on the court, it isn't close.

In the end, I honestly think that the Hawks see this whole conference explosion deal as a way to keep ISU from getting over the hump. That may be their only defense. If the Big 12 goes on for another 10 years, I could see us having much more success in basketball and getting to a level in football, where year to year, either team may be better. I honestly believe that. Call me a homer or Koo-laid drinker or whatever, but I think we are on the upswing and Iowa may not be anymore. I mean KF, whether we want to admit it or not, has gotten that program to a point where they can compete for Big 10 titles year in and year out. There isn't much room left to grow and outside of resources (which will even out somewhat with the new contracts) and history, they don't have advantages on us. On the history part, I don't know if Iowa carries a lot more clout than we do in the South. Contrary to their belief, they aren't a national power.

[Ciclone]

I think the thread title should be changed to "Iowa fan thinks Texas needs to go."