Come together… right now… over the Longhorn Network.

Mike Gundy has a bone to pick with Texas.

Texas needs to eliminate the Longhorn Network in order for the Big 12 to avoid facing increased instability, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told CBS Sports on Monday.

Gundy’s comment was made as he said the league overall needs to market itself better. The conference, he said, is at a disadvantage because of the widespread distribution and success of the SEC Network and Big Ten Network.

Eliminating LHN, which he called a “failure,” and creating a conference-wide Big 12 Network would give the league more national exposure, Gundy added.

“If we don’t eliminate the Longhorn Network and create our own network, they’re going to continue to have issues with this league,” Gundy said as the Cowboys returned from spring break to continue spring practice.

He continued: “You don’t have a Big 12 Network; you have a network within the league that people consider a failure.”

LHN’s struggles are well-documented. The school-centric network reportedly has lost $48 million since its launch in 2011. Its annual losses are now in the single-digit millions, according to a source. Both ESPN and Texas seem committed to the 20-year, $295 million agreement that would pay the school an average of $15 million per year.

“Everything is based on marketing,” Gundy said. “Right now the Big 12 is not getting the marketing we need because of the Longhorn Network. Now, nobody wants to hear that but …”

The Longhorn Network is a failure only to those keeping an eye on Mickey’s balance sheet.  If you’re keeping the books at Texas, $15 million dollars a year looks pretty good – and when you realize that’s money none of your peers is getting paid, it looks even better.

So the ‘Horns should give that up in the name of doing the right thing for its competitors?  When’s the last time a football power behaved that magnanimously?  It’s simply not in their DNA.

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