So I took a shot
Texas/Alabama: They’re both football powerhouses who get their way most of the time and the rest of their leagues think the conference favors them over others. And one of them is even actually good at football.
Oklahoma/Georgia: They’re both really, really good at football. Neither is actually the headliner in football in their conference a lot of times, but both are among the best in the country. They’ve also both had some very good hoops teams/players from time to time over the years.
Oklahoma State/Auburn: Both would be considered little brother in their own state, but both have actually been pretty good and won national titles at times (AU in football, OSU in hoops)
Kentucky/Kansas: They’re really good at one sport and then most of their fans find some other team to cheer for in the other sports. But in that one sport, man, they’re the best ever. Just ask them. It’s not possible to like that sport and not be a fan of the Jayhawks or Wildcats. They’re everything that’s right about the game. Again, just ask them.
Texas Tech/South Carolina: They’re not usually the headliner in their own state these days, but both have actually been pretty good at times. Both rose to prominence with a hilarious loudmouth football coach (Mike Leach, Steve Spurrier)
Kansas State/Arkansas: Both have been good to great in both sports at various times. Neither has necessarily sustained it recently. If you asked most people, these wouldn’t be listed as two of the better programs in the league. They’re both probably overlooked quite a bit. K-State has the scariest mascot in all of college sports. Arkansas counters with the creepiest cheer.
Iowa State/Vanderbilt: It’s hard even for fans of other teams in the league to hate them. They rise up and have some pretty good teams and do damage in basketball sometimes (ISU more often than Vandy). But when it comes to football, the best coach in modern history at both schools tops out at about nine wins. They’re solid fanbases who nobody ever really seems to want to fight. But I don’t think a lot of Vandy fans are cleaning entire towns out of Busch Light.
West Virginia/Mizzou: Many people don’t know they’re actually in their current conference, even though they’ve both been pretty decent. Both fanbases spend much time trying to convince others to “shut up! We do TOO belong!”
TCU & Baylor/Ole Miss & Mississippi State: Yeah, they’re there.
Tennessee/Nebraska: I understand that Nebraska is no longer in the Big 12. But the comparison is too perfect. Both fanbases are completely convinced it is still 1995. And next year is always going to be as good as 1996 was. But neither has won anything of note in the sport they hang their hat on in almost two decades now.
Sorry to Florida, Texas A&M and LSU, but the Big 12 only has 10 teams (actually 11 since I added one back) so due to that, you don’t have a partner at this dance.
