Mike Gundy teases realignment news in near future: 'It's not finished now'
Aug. 2—Mike Gundy or Nostradamus?
Based on the Oklahoma State football coach's predictions as of late, it'd be hard to tell him apart from the French astrologer who foreshadowed the future through his prophecies and poems.
"I'm almost like Nostradamus. I've been telling you guys for 18 months what's gonna happen. I think I've hit it every time," Gundy said following the Cowboys starting fall camp. "I said Oklahoma State would be in great shape no matter what, which has happened. And I said, eventually, the Big 12 Conference will rise and be just fine, which has happened."
He's issued his latest prediction, too.
"I said that conference realignment is not finished yet," Gundy said, "and it's not finished now."
On Wednesday morning, less than a week after Colorado's return to the Big 12 became official, Gundy was asked about potential matchups with the Buffaloes as early as 2024. He was midway through recollecting his prior trips north, ones that typically featured snow being pushed to the sidelines of Folsom Field.
Then the Cowboys' coach, a month away from kicking off the 19th season leading his alma mater, might've tipped the Big 12's hand when it comes to college football's hottest topic.
"But with what's going on now with alignment, as it finishes up here over the next month — maybe a week — I think they're bringing some strength back," Gundy said of Brett Yormark, the Big 12's second-year commissioner.
Gundy was right when he said realignment isn't finished. It isn't now, and it surely won't be for the foreseeable future, though Gundy's remarks suggest it could be significantly sooner rather than later.
There have been nationwide rumblings of the Big 12 wanting and planning to add a 14th team. Yormark had previously mentioned wanting to get to 14 before walking back that idea during Big 12 Media Days in mid-July.
He doesn't want to chase a number, he said. Prospective schools need to align with the Big 12's values, Yormark added, and bring their own unique value to the league.
That's certainly what the Big 12 got in Colorado, a school that has a time zone that differs from most other member institutions and a school that has a wide outreach in its region. And, yeah, a school that has a football program led by Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders.
"We're thrilled to have Colorado," Gundy said. "I actually need to reach out to Coach Sanders and welcome him to the league; I haven't done that yet. But they fit in the Big 12. They go all the way back to the Big 7, Big 8, Big 12, and they're right here."
What's next, though? Who could Gundy be talking about?
Arizona is expected to be the next domino to fall. If the Pac-12's collapse continues and the current remains of the league disband, the Big 12 could be looking at possibly adding three new members. Arizona State is a suitor. So is Utah.
Whichever school — schools — it ends up being, Gundy is seemingly already in the know. He offered to prove it, too, in a way that would've made it that much harder to distinguish him from Nostradamus.
"I should write it down and stick it up there," Gundy said, pointing at a wall in the southwest corner of the Sherman E. Smith Training Center. "Then when the next group comes, you guys will be excited."
Follow News Press sports reporter Jon Walker on Twitter @ByJonWalker for updates on Oklahoma State athletics, Stillwater High and more.
