Gundy: ‘A lot of history’ lost with OU, Texas exits

STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy mentioned Tuesday that Oklahoma and Texas “took the cash and ran” in leaving the Large 12 for the SEC.

“Let’s simply minimize to the chase. They made a option to financially safe their athletic departments for the subsequent 12 to fifteen years,” Gundy informed ESPN. “Individuals can speak about all the explanations, however that is why they did it, all for the cash, and took numerous historical past out of this league and numerous historical past out of school soccer with them.

“Now, they don’t seem to be the primary ones to do it. Texas A&M did the identical factor after they jumped ship to the SEC [in 2012].”

Gundy, getting into his 18th season as Oklahoma State’s coach, guided the Cowboys to a 12-win season a yr in the past and a Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame. Oklahoma State ended the common season with a 37-33 victory over Oklahoma, which in Gundy’s thoughts will nearly definitely be one of many final Bedlam video games.

“They type of made that call after they left for the SEC,” Gundy mentioned. “It is simply not going to be possible. We’re scheduled out to 2036, I feel, and I am certain the SEC goes to 9 convention video games. They’re going to need to, or the media will kill them. The followers would like to preserve taking part in [Bedlam], however the individuals behind the doorways who make the choices are going to say, ‘No.’

“That is what you lose, some nice rivalries and numerous historical past.”

Gundy is assured that the Large 12 is not going wherever and is unfazed about all of the speak of the league’s groups shedding their model names.

“That is by no means going to vary. They’re all the time going to speak about manufacturers, and there are all the time going to be groups that get ranked within the preseason polls simply because individuals suppose they’re certainly going to be a Prime 25 group,” Gundy mentioned. “However these polls do not imply something. Nothing counts till the tip of the season, and our model is rising … on the sphere and off the sphere.

“We do not have the form of brand that Texas does or Notre Dame does, however we’re making strides the place it counts.”

Oklahoma State, ranked No. 12 within the AP preseason ballot, has overwhelmed Texas in eight of their previous 12 conferences and has misplaced solely as soon as in Austin since 2008.

“The Large 12 goes to be high-quality, and I am simply providing you with my opinion and know individuals get upset with my opinion, however we had been lucky that the 2 groups that left did it after they did [last year] and never now,” Gundy mentioned.

Gundy mentioned the 4 groups set to affix the Large 12 — BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF — “can compete at any degree.”

“They’ve nice tv markets in several places within the nation that we did not have,” he mentioned. The SEC and Large Ten are going to be robust, however after that, we’re proper there.”

Gundy, by no means one to shrink back from talking his thoughts, mentioned he is undecided why he harm anyone’s emotions earlier this yr when questioning why OU and Texas representatives had been even allowed to attend enterprise conferences.

“I am simply calling it like it’s,” he mentioned. “If two software program corporations within the Silicon Valley are battling for leverage by way of know-how, and one in all them will get a brand new know-how that could possibly be value $1 billion in gross sales, why would they share that with the opposite corporations?

“Now, I mentioned it considerably jokingly, however I am not within the administrative conferences. I am in a gathering with head coaches and athletic administrators, and we do not get something completed. We by no means have as a result of there are too many individuals in a single room. It is a reality. In the end the presidents make the choices. Coaches do not make choices.”

Gundy is one in all solely six lively FBS coaches with greater than 30 profession wins towards AP nationally ranked groups; the others are Nick Saban, Dabo Swinney, Brian Kelly, Kirk Ferentz and Mack Brown. Gundy acquired a brand new five-year rollover contract in March value a complete of $33.25 million within the first 5 years, a deal that features a $1 million keep bonus if he is nonetheless the coach on the finish of the calendar yr.

It is a contract that Gundy mentioned basically is a “lifetime deal” and that he has by no means felt extra comfy with the administration at Oklahoma State, specifically president Kayse Shrum and athletic director Chad Weiberg.

“Clearly, OU has been extra profitable than anyone on this league during the last six or eight years, and we have been second,” Gundy mentioned. “So we now have an opportunity with our new administration to proceed to push for issues, to maintain this program at a excessive degree. I’ve had another affords, at some actually good colleges, affords that intrigued me, however I do not give it some thought anymore. That is residence.”

The late T. Boone Pickens, the namesake for Oklahoma State’s stadium, was probably the most highly effective determine on the college for many years and was “extremely supportive” with the cash he poured into athletics, Gundy mentioned. Nevertheless, Gundy mentioned it was a problem at occasions with Pickens, as a result of he “ran the entire college, and it was not all the time straightforward to educate right here based mostly on his management from a distance.”

Gundy mentioned he interviewed a number of occasions with Tennessee “as a result of I all the time felt like that job was a gold mine.” He joked that the Vols have had “so many alternative coaches” that he could not keep in mind the particular years he talked to Tennessee.

“That is why I am so appreciative of what we now have at this place, the continuity and stability that we have had,” Gundy mentioned. “Individuals do not depart. They keep right here, and with our new administration, there’s loads left on the market for us.”