But if CU officials -- and fans and donors and students -- do indeed want Colorado to actually compete in the Big 12, the administration must also be willing to make some concessions to make the playing field level wherever possible. That means admissions, facilities, and simply eliminating unnecessary on-campus barriers that don`t exist at CU`s peer institutions.

It takes strong, bold leadership to create such an atmosphere.

But if being competitive isn`t the goal, CU`s administration should make that clear. Colorado should never hide behind the facade of claiming to be a productive member of one of the nation`s premier conferences if that isn`t actually the case.

Instead, CU administrators should consider another conference, because in the Big 12, the majority of schools see being competitive as a positive experience rather than a burden.