It’s been a crazy week in the Big 12. I’m going to hit you with the three biggest storylines right off the bat. 

Nebraska Tried to Come Back to the Big 12

Yes, really. 

Former Nebraska AD Bill Moos writes in his memoir, Crab Creek Chronicles: From the Wheat Fields to the Ball Fields and Beyond, that he made a real push to bring Nebraska back to the Big 12. 

Moos was the AD in Lincoln from 2017 to 2021. Here’s the story he shares.

Following their team after it joined the Big Ten meant fans had to travel long distances, which proved to be both time-consuming and costly. This was conveyed to me on several occasions and not just by farmers, ranchers, and small-town merchants, but also by top-notch professionals, affluent business owners, and even a couple of members of the university’s board of regents.

Knowledge of this prompted me to implement my stealth approach to exploring possibilities by secretly testing the waters of returning to what was still known as the Big 12, even though it consisted of just ten members. My scheme centered around having my old friend Pat Kilkenny reach out to Bob Bowlsby.

When I learned from Pat Kilkenny that Bob Bowlsby showed an interest in the prospect of Nebraska returning to the Big 12, I seized the opportunity to get together with him while in Dallas, as his office was just a few miles away in nearby Irving.

The two of us met for breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and after reminiscing about our fabulous time together on the Nike trip to Asia and grousing about the current state of college athletics, we got down to business.

Bob, who many believe saved the Big 12, was extremely positive about the possibility of Nebraska returning to the conference. He even thought a full television share could be possible upon joining. When he said having another school coming with us would be ideal, I mentioned that Colorado, which had left for the Pac-12 ten years earlier, might be someone to consider.

“It would be like getting the old band back together!” I quipped.

Bob sounded optimistic about my proposal, as did (former Nebraska president) Ted Carter when I conveyed our conversation to him the following day.

Unfortunately, he goes on to say that only two regents supported it, which led to Carter scrapping the idea. 

But it’s wild to think that before Oklahoma and Texas left, Nebraska’s AD met with Bob Bowlsby to push for a Big 12 return. 

I still think Texas and Oklahoma would have left for the SEC anyway, so the long-term impact on the Big 12 probably doesn’t change much. But it’s fun to imagine a world where the old band got back together and actually stayed together.

During my childhood in the late 90s and early 2000s, Nebraska was K-State’s biggest football rival. I’d love nothing more than to have the Huskers back where they belong, playing games against teams they have actual history with. 

It probably would have been a bad move for Nebraska financially, but it also shows the dumb carnage conference realignment created. 

Nebraska football has felt like a rudderless ship for more than a decade, making weird road trips to play teams they don’t have real history with. It’s not fun, even if the Twitter burners want to wave the Big Ten checks in your face.

Jerome Tang’s Viral Postgame Rant

K-State continues to make history in all of the wrong ways. 

The Wildcats lost by 29 at home to 12-12 Cincinnati on Wednesday night. The Bearcats are having a rough year, too, and had lost 11 straight road games before demolishing the Cats.

K-State’s last three home losses have come by a combined 87 points, making them the first team in Big 12 history to lose three straight home games by at least 24 points. Head coach Jerome Tang now owns three of the seven worst home losses in K-State basketball history. 

Oh, by the way, Cincinnati was without three of its top eight players. 

Effort was clearly a major issue for K-State. Frankly, the players quit. 

That clip and the negative history K-State made were enough of a story on their own, but Tang created an even bigger mess with his postgame press conference. 

You have to listen to this. 

He went scorched earth on the team. I’ve never heard a coach say players don’t deserve to be here or don’t deserve to wear the jersey. I’ve also never heard a coach suggest this openly that most of his roster won’t be back next season.

If the players didn’t quit on Tang already, there’s a better chance they will now.

Just ten days ago, Tang said this when questioned about a 34-point loss to Iowa State. 

"I don't feel like I need to give an explanation to our fans right now... I am proud of the young men that I brought in."

The mixed messages make it look like a coach desperately searching for the right button to push and coming up empty.

Honestly, this might be a coach resigned to his fate. I don’t know how you come back from this.

I’m not even talking about the seven games left this season. How do you recruit this offseason after going viral for torching your players like that? It’s one thing when a respected, accomplished disciplinarian does it. It’s another when a coach in Tang’s position does it.

K-State would have to come up with $18.7 million to move on from Tang, but this relationship feels untenable. The buyout only drops by $3 million next year. I’m not sure the Wildcats have much of a choice but to find the money.

For my full thoughts, check out this YouTube video or the 3MAW podcast. 

Parker Kingston Charged With a Horrible Crime

I hate that I have to bring this story to you for multiple reasons. 

Content warning: this section involves an allegation of sexual assault. If that’s not something you want to read about right now, feel free to skip ahead. 

BYU star WR Parker Kingston was charged with rape, a first-degree felony, by the Washington County Attorney’s office. 

The charge follows an investigation that began in February of 2025. BYU says it learned about the arrest on Wednesday, according to KSL.  

“BYU became aware today of the arrest of Parker Kingston. The university takes any allegation very seriously, and will cooperate with law enforcement. Due to federal and university privacy laws and practices for students, the university will not be able to provide additional comment.”

KSL has full details about the incident from unsealed court documents that were unveiled Thursday. 

Kingston was expected to be BYU’s top receiver after catching 67 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns last season.

I just saw Kingston on the jumbotron at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday with his fiancée showing off her new engagement ring. 

Needless to say, this is an awful and very sad situation all the way around.

What You Need to Know

• Bill Self fired back at all of the criticism given to KU star Darryn Peterson. Here’s the fiery response in full from Self. 

• On almost any other day, Colorado head coach Tad Boyle would have had the rant of the night. He was one-upped by Tang, but you should still check out his tirade here. 

• The Big 12 announced it will be the first league in the US to use an LED court during the Big 12 tournament. 

• Politicians in Oklahoma have introduced legislation that would require Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to play an annual football game. 

• An SEC school just cancelled a football series against a Big 12 opponent.

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