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CRA, you can take my TOP 10 from my Top 25 of course.

Now, OU and Switzer.

A friend of mine who worked in and around Switzer's office told me once that during one annual conference for coaches of the Big 8, Switzer found out that the conference was trying to change revenue sharing by not sharing monies received from other games a team did not play in but did have a bowl appearance. The conference wanted more money to teams that did not appear in bowls so that the conference could recruit better and grow. This meant OU and others would have to settle with only monies generated from the game they played in. If you did not play in a game, the conference distributrion was as follows. IF 3 teams played in bowls, then the other 5 shared the conference money. 2 then 6, 1 then 7, etc. Unfortunately, that also screwed the cinderella team as they too only got the game they played that year.

Switzer was livid as one might know. Evidently during a break in the sessions, he instructed his admin staff to begin setting up conference calls with some other national teams. Meanwhile and over the course of the conference Switzer broached the subject with a couple of coaches during non-session, about withdrawing from the NCAA (who obviously set limits on things like scholarships, payola, and recruiting guidelines). Switzer had figured if the elite NCAA teams all withdrew and formed their own league (a sort of semi professional league because we all knew it was hard to track that under the table money); that the networks would easily draw to them and drop the ties to revenue as they existed. Then more money would go to the teams competing and not to a team not worthy to be playing.

Nothing strong happened there and when he returned to his phone call appointment calendar he may not have called anyone as no one knows. The problems are huge for breaking away from the NCAA and with the Networks. One is the school is an easy target for a lawsuit. Another is the television contracts were not expiring so the buy out would have been huge. Still another is getting enough teams to support the exit.

There is no question Switzer is aggressive. But while his thinking wasn't out of line (BCS anyone?), it wasn't probable which is also why there can't be a playoff system right now in this division of football. There's too much money at stake and investors are not secure in the outcome. But can one imagine a 20 team league of the Top 20? Playing 14 games against "ranked" opponents during the season then a playoff?

Obviously things changed with each network renewal and the growth of the NCAA division 1. Teams felt they too wanted the money so these creampuff games were scheduled more and more. But with competition comes victory and upsets.. Something a small school is hoping for. "We got to play OU and only got beat 78-0! But we got a lot of money!"

Remember, the BCS was part brainchild of the Big 12 commissioner but none of this had anything to do with Switzer leaving OU after 7 or 8 years as head coach. I don't think the NCAA knew anything nor was it considered "strong" at the time. More like casual conversation, but Switzer was a sly rattlesnake so you can take it for what it's worth. So that's the water cooler tidbit!