Roughly ten days ago, the Big 12 Conference stepped in to questionable territory. Publicly reprimanding Breckyn Hager for making the statement, “OU still sucks,” fans on both sides of the argument quickly took to social media. Expressing opinions over the decision to coerce an apology out of the Texas Longhorn, the general consensus was disapproval of the ruling. This is the nation’s premier rivalry after all!
Now, with a Red River Rivalry rematch for the Big 12 Championship, the league has once again stepped in to issue a controversial decision. Apparently, the league has instructed it’s officials to flag the ‘Horns Down’ gesture for unsportsmanlike conduct — as was evidenced when West Virginia defeated the Longhorns. During game preparations, the Oklahoma Sooners head coach, Lincoln Riley, asked for clarification on the idea.
Receiving the news, a few Texas players responded exactly how we’d expect. “Are you serious?” Texas senior defensive end Charles Omenihu said on Tuesday. “I ain’t too worried about that.” Clearly the focus is on winning the game for both of these programs. Yet, one coaching staff must take precious preparation time to explain this made up rule and begin to enforce it in some way, shape, or form.
In my humble opinion, the Big 12 has simply gone too far. A staple of the rivalry has been “OU Sucks” screamed at the loudest of volumes from every Texas fan during the fight song. In combination, the Sooners have flashed the Horns down numerous time after scoring a touchdown while the gesture ripples through the stadium. To begin removing these aspects of the rivalry is simply ludicrous!