Morgantown, West Virginia – At last week’s Big 12 Conference Media Day, Big 12 coordinator of officials Greg Burks said that the league will be cracking down on taunting for the 2021-2022 season.
When asked about the horns down gesture that opposing players often flash during games against the Texas Longhorns, Burks was very clear about the consequences of doing that.
”Let me put it this way,” Burks said. “If you do a Horns Down to a Texas player as an opponent, that’s probably going to be a foul.”
That was before Texas and Oklahoma decided to leave the Big 12 Conference and go to the SEC. Although the move is now inevitable, both teams will be forced to play the upcoming season in the Big 12.
With that said, the Big 12 no longer has to go out of its way to protect the reputation of its most profitable school, the University of Texas.
In fact, the Big 12 Conference has every reason to make the final year(s) of Texas in the conference as awkward and uncomfortable as possible for the Longhorns.
Conference officials should not only reverse their previous decision to make “horns down” a penalty but actually actively encourage it for opposing teams and fans.
Neither Texas or Oklahoma have done anything to make this inevitable transition easy or painless for the conference or any of the teams involved, so why should the conference or the teams directly affected do anything to make anything uncomplicated for the Longhorns or Sooners?
The selfish decision by both teams not only will hurt every other team involved but also likely lead to the destruction of the entire conference.
While Texas and Oklahoma are still around and before they jet off to the SEC, Big 12 teams and fans should be allowed and encouraged to show them just how much their actions are appreciated!
