"The Chipotle Burrito Bowl" Football fans react to Big 12 mulling Monterrey for first Mexico bowl game
The Big 12 is looking for ways to expand its product, and one thought is growing its game to places outside of the United States. One potential destination is Monterrey, Mexico, Pete Thamel, ESPN's senior college football writer, reported.
Sources: The Big 12 is exploring starting a bowl game in Mexico in the postseason of 2026, with the site targeted to be Monterrey. The league will also hold a regular season game w/Houston and Kansas in Mexico City in 2024 in men’s and women’s basketball. espn.com/college-footba…
This has caused a ruckus on Twitter as many seem to not understand the need for the exploration of this.
@PeteThamel The Chipotle Burrito Bowl
@PeteThamel I think Yormark is doing a great job, but since when is Mexico clamoring to watch American football? He does realize that the national sport in Mexico - football - is actually soccer, right?
@PeteThamel Not sure anyone wants another bowl game. Try having a women’s soccer tournament.
@PeteThamel Cant blame him lol https://t.co/0dJvFz7jiY
@PeteThamel They are trying to find someone who will watch their games after Texas and OU are gone.
@PeteThamel Has anyone ever said ……
‘there are NOT enough bowl games’
@PeteThamel I don’t get this. It’s not a recruiting tool for local athletes, it robs campus of games, and is just a made-for-TV thing that, once the game starts, is just another game.
@PeteThamel Why? Simple, doing things the way they’ve always been been done has equaled losing six teams. Yormark was brought in to be a visionary with new ideas to market and build the brand as the presidents hired him to do. College athletics is changing. Being stagnant is not an option.
However, there seems to be one person that has the same mindset as the Big 12. Growing the game and fandom of its teams is going to be at the forefront of this if it goes into action. Just as the United States has gained more interest in sports like England's Premier League, this could be a way for more people to be interested.
@PeteThamel Hoping citizens down there go to games and become fans of these teams and spread the fandom
What should we expect out of the Big 12 this season?
The Big 12 is at an interesting junction as both the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners join the Southeastern Conference after this season. They are reportedly going to expand soon with Colorado and Arizona being rumored to join. That means the swan song of those programs is going to be at the forefront as some natural rivalries may be coming to an end.
There are also some other amazing college football programs, such as the 2022 national championship runners-up, the TCU Horned Frogs. They finished 13-2 (9-0 Big 12) last season but need to replace quarterback Max Duggan as he was selected in the NFL draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.
There were three teams that ended the season ranked in the AP Poll: TCU (second), Kansas State (14th) and Texas (25th).
The Big 12 is going to have a lot of interesting programs. The Texas Texas Red Raiders have been a middling program lately. They finished the 2022 season at 7-5 (5-4), struggling to get into that next gear in conference play.
It seems like a chalky pick but the TCU Horned Frogs are definitely the favorites to win the conference championship again and for good reason.
One thing is for certain. though, the exciting football that the Big 12 provides on an annual basis is going to continue during the 2023 season.