Posted: Fri, 9 Sep 2011 09:41 AM - 13,499 Readers
By: Randy Galloway
Consider this possibility:
A high school game to be played tonight, 20 minutes west of downtown Fort Worth, has become the epicenter of a quake that will shake the foundation of college football from East Coast to West Coast and everywhere in-between.
We, of course, are the in-between, and the foundation is already crumbling in our zip codes, causing tremors to be felt across the entire national landscape.
So what the heck does a high school football game have to do with any of this?
One quote to remember from several months ago:
"I can't wait to see Gray."
Those words came from an ESPN vice president named Dave Brown, the corporate coordinator from Bristol, Conn., for, yes, the Longhorn Network.
What Brown was saying was he couldn't wait to see Johnathan Gray, the No. 1-ranked running back in the nation, on, yes, the newly minted Longhorn Network.
Gray also has committed to, yes, the University of Texas.
Nothing has been the same in college football since Brown uttered those words. What followed was a national debate over whether the Longhorn Network should be allowed to televise high school football games.
The NCAA ruling was eventually "no."
But by then Texas A&M has already gone ballistic, and was charting its course to the SEC. The Longhorn Network became a tipping point for the Aggies, but count me as a believer that they were looking for any reason to remove the UT shadow.
The Longhorn Network made it easy to find a reason.
We all know what has happened since then, but mainly we are waiting for what happens next, which at the moment may involve the demolition of the Big 12 Conference, causing a huge chain reaction all over college football.
It's not right to blame the Longhorn Network for all this, but let's just say, for a deal that involved $300 million, ESPN didn't think it all out. Televising high school football games was obviously what the Bristol boys planned on LHN doing.
Say now, Bristol boys, did you ever think this might create a huge recruiting advantage for Texas, and even if that theory is overblown, did you ever think other colleges might still be seriously extreme in their disapproval?
Mr. Brown said what he said because he wanted and fully expected high school games to be televised live on the Longhorn Network.
When A&M rightfully reacted, overreacted or used it as a convenient excuse (pick one), college football will never be the same around here (the Aggies are gone), or seemingly anywhere else in college football.
Again, this is not totally because of the Longhorn Network, but certainly it was a factor, plus the plan to televise high school games was second only to the $300 million from Bristol pockets into UT's bankroll when it came to other schools publicly and privately yelping.
It's unknown at this point if the Longhorn Network survives, at least in its current form, but what does any of this have to do with a game being played tonight 20 minutes west of downtown Fort Worth?
Here's why, and let me take you out there:
Go I-30, and at the merger with I-20, take the Farm Road 1187 exit, turn left, go a mile south, take a right on Bailey Ranch Road, and there it is.
Located in what was once prime grazing land for cattle sits the gleaming Aledo High School complex, and, of course, also a vast athletic complex with a fine football stadium as the centerpiece.
At kickoff tonight, Aledo, with Gray at running back, will take on visiting Lake Travis. The fire marshal of Parker County cut off ticket sales on Tuesday, meaning a paying crowd of 8,100 will be shoehorned into the stadium.
Lake Travis is four-time defending state champ, and going for a five-peat. Aledo is two-time defending state champ and going for a three-peat.
It is the biggest high school game in the state of Texas this weekend. It was also going to be the showcase high school game for, yes, the Longhorn Network. Not just this weekend's showcase, but the entire season showcase.
Gray is one reason, but Lake Travis is an affluent Austin-area school that is considered by its fans as "the little University of Texas."
"I never dealt with anyone from UT or ESPN; I dealt with a marketing firm that works with ESPN," said Tim Buchanan, Aledo's head coach and AD. "And this was the game I was told definitely needed to be on the Longhorn Network, and later ESPN was also talking about a national telecast."
The hang-up was what day to play it on. Buchanan and Lake Travis wanted to keep it on a Friday night. ESPN wanted the game Thursday night or Saturday afternoon.
"We were still discussing it when the NCAA ruling came down about the Longhorn Network," Buchanan said. "That ended that discussion and then, as far as national telecasts on a Friday night, there were UIL rules to deal with. We kept it on Friday night, which is best for everyone anyway."
TV didn't win this one. But asked if he thought Aledo vs. Lake Travis was deemed the Longhorn Network's showcase high school game of 2011, Buchanan answered, "most definitely, not only based on what they said, but for all the obvious reasons."
Such as a Dave Brown of ESPN saying, "I can't wait to see Gray."
That's when the upheaval in college football started. And that's when former cattle-grazing land in Aledo might have become the epicenter of the quake.
