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Last week, the citizens of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union via a ballot decision between "leave" and "remain", appropriately named "#Brexit". Some folks in Texas have always flirted with the idea of Texas secession (though the legality of such a move is questionable at best), prompting the hashtag "#Texit" to pop up on the Twitter machine.
In the spirit of the times, I’ve narrowed the focus even further to #TexitTech. Below we will discuss different scenarios that would warrant considerations of "leave" or "remain", just like in the UK last week.
The Big 12 Conference
Conference expansion has been all the rage this offseason – as it is nearly every offseason – and a few questions about certain scenarios have emerged: should Baylor be kicked out? Should the conference expand? Should the conference disband? Where will Texas Tech end up? Here are my votes:
Baylor’s Big 12 conference membership status: LEAVE
The Big 12 will REMAIN at 10 teams, ultimately causing its demise.
Texas Tech should LEAVE for the Pac-16 with Texas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State.
Current/Former Red Raiders
As is the case with collegiate athletics, coaches and players come and go by way of the NFL draft, transfers, new jobs, etc. Here’s a look back at some recent moves related to Texas Tech, and whether leaving Lubbock or remaining a Red Raider is best:
Davis Webb: LEAVE. I don’t mean this in a bad way at all. Red Raider nation loved Webb, but he just wasn’t going to get much playing time in Lubbock unless Mahomes was injured. Now he has a great chance to leave his mark at a big program like Cal and may even have NFL opportunities awaiting him. I wish he could have stayed, but ultimately it is best for Webb to move on, and we’re all rooting for him to succeed at Cal (unless we get a rematch of the 2004 Holiday Bowl).
Tommy Tuberville: LEAVE. One of the worst things that ever happened to Texas Tech football was Tommy Tuberville arriving in Lubbock. One of the best things that ever happened to Texas Tech football was Tommy Tuberville dining and dashing at the 50 Yard Line steakhouse and never returning to Lubbock. Good riddance.
Pat Mahomes: REMAIN. There will inevitably be discussion about whether Pat will leave Texas Tech after his junior season to go to the NFL or if he’ll remain in Lubbock for his senior year. Obviously as a fan of the Red Raiders, I hope he comes back to lead our offense one more season. But I also wouldn’t blame the guy if he wanted to leave to make millions of dollars.
Kliff Kingsbury: REMAIN. A brilliant offensive mind, a good recruiter, and a former Texas Tech QB who actually seems like he enjoys it here and is invested in the program. Compared to the last guy we had (see above), I’ll take Kingsbury seven days a week and twice on any given Saturday.