This reeks of the same paranoia we heard back when the SWAC was getting reorganized in the early 90s. Everyone thought certain schools had the commissioner's ear, but you know what mattered then? What matters now? Winning your damn games. You think Coach Houston Markham was in some back room politicking when he built those powerhouse teams? No, sir. He was on the practice field building men who would go out and dominate on Saturday. All this talk about navigating politics is just an excuse for when you can't develop talent. If you're winning conference championships, they have to listen to you. I've seen administrations come and go over four decades, and the schools that constantly worry about backroom deals are usually the ones getting outplayed between the lines. Build a team that can't be ignored, like we did in '06, and you won't need to worry about who's having coffee with the commissioner.