Answering lingering realignment questions
I wouldn’t take the Houston/lawmakers story too seriously. I have a lot of respect for Cougars coach Kevin Sumlin, who’s done a nice job building on the momentum of predecessor Art Briles and getting the program back on the national map a bit. I wrote a feature last season on his and the school’s recent efforts to change the program’s reputation. But Houston’s still got a ways to go. It’s still largely a commuter school (it’s got dorms, but not a lot of them) with a small local fan base (average home attendance last year: 25,242) in a city where not only pro teams, but also Texas and Texas A&M, take precedence. As of now, the Big 12 has no more reason to add Houston than the Pac-10 did Baylor. Not that Houston is doomed. Utah had much the same reputation prior to Urban Meyer’s arrival, so much could change down the road.
SI.com
6/23/10
