There is no question that the Big 12 member schools are located in the regions of the United States where football is the most popular sport. Given the fact that the Big 12 is crumbling, and the United Football League is expanding into these markets, we have to wonder if this will help or hurt the upstart pro league. The league could use the boost; it has had a ton of bad luck in its first year. The games at Giants Stadium got dwarfed by the World Series, and partnerships with MLB organizations soured as the league failed to deliver big attendance numbers.
Now the league has launched a team in Omaha, Nebraska and looks to add another in the state of Texas. Given this league affinity towards drafting and signing local players it would seem that a departure of the Big 12 would be good for them. There may be a large number of disillusioned College Football fans who may turn to a game or a team that features players that matriculated at their schools.
I have a lot of family that live in Big 12 country and none of them seem very happy with the direction of NCAA football. If college football becomes more about the money then the rivalries, we may see a large demographic of football fans up for grabs. Added to that is the threat of a NFL lockout that would open up more fans to watching the UFL.
In the end, I have to think that the demise of the Big 12 is good for the UFL. They have signed former Nebraska Cornhusker Ahman Green to play for the Omaha Nighthawks. That gives the expansion team five active players who attended Big 12 schools. If the league wants to take advantage of this they would have to draft more players from these local schools, much the way the old USFL did.
Related Links:
• The Business of the UFL • The Business of College Football •MTR College Sports.com •MTR Football.com •UFL news and notes
United Football League
Embed this widget See full results for United Football League
