Anyways, Chip Brown from Orangebloods.com reports OU may apply to the Pac-12 by the end of the month.
Oklahoma will apply for membership to the Pac-12 before the end of the month, and Oklahoma State is expected to follow suit, a source close to OU's administration told Orangebloods.com.
Even though Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said Friday the Pac-12 was not interested in expansion at this time, OU's board of regents is fed up with the instability in the Big 12, the source said.
The OU board of regents will meet within two weeks to formalize plans to apply for membership to the Pac-12, the source said.
Messages left Sunday night with OU athletic director Joe Castiglione and Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder were not immediately returned.
If OU follows through with what appears to be a unanimous sentiment on the seven-member Oklahoma board of regents to leave the Big 12, realignment in college athletics could be heating back up. OU's application would be matched by an application from Oklahoma State, the source said, even though OSU president Burns Hargis and mega-booster Boone Pickens both voiced their support for the Big 12 last Thursday.
There is differing sentiment about if the Pac-12 presidents and chancellors are ready to expand again after bringing in Colorado and Utah last year and landing $3 billion TV contracts from Fox and ESPN. Colorado president Bruce Benson told reporters last week CU would be opposed to any expansion that might bring about east and west divisions in the Pac-12.
Currently, there are north and south divisions in the Pac-12. If OU and OSU were to join, Larry Scott would have to get creative.
Scott's orginal plan last summer was to bring in Colorado, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and put them in an eastern division with Arizona and Arizona State. The old Pac-8 schools (USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State) were to be in the west division.
Colorado made the move in June 2010, but when Texas A&M was not on board to go west, the Big 12 came back together with the help of its television partners (ABC/ESPN and Fox).
If Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were accepted into the Pac-12, there would undoubtedly be a hope by Larry Scott that Texas would join the league. But Texas sources have indicated UT is determined to hang onto the Longhorn Network, which would not be permissible in the Pac-12 in its current form.
Texas sources continue to indicate to Orangebloods.com that if the Big 12 falls apart, the Longhorns would consider "all options."
Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe held an emergency conference call 10 days ago with league presidents excluding Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M and asked the other league presidents to "work on Texas" because Beebe didn't think the Pac-12 would take Oklahoma without Texas.
Now, it appears OU is willing to take its chances with the Pac-12 with or without Texas.
There seemed to be a temporary pause in any possible shifting of the college athletics' landscape when Baylor led a charge to tie up Texas A&M's move to the Southeastern Conference in legal red tape. BU refused to waive its right to sue the SEC over A&M's departure from the Big 12, and the SEC said it would not admit Texas A&M until it had been cleared of any potential lawsuits.
Baylor, Kansas and Iowa State have indicated they will not waive their right to sue the SEC.
It's unclear if an application by OU to the Pac-12 would draw the same threats of litigation against the Pac-12 from those Big 12 schools.
Originally Posted by eazyb81:
Thanks. Enjoy the rivalry with Cincinnati....at least until the conference collapses and you are shoveled off somewhere else.
We are sticking together, proudly, with our "not-our-rivals" to the east. [Reply]
Mizzou in the SEC will be pretty sweet for us. Should be able to develop a pretty good rivalry with Arkansas as it's an easy 5 hour drive, the easiest travel from school to school for either team. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rams Fan:
Hey, this could start a rivalry with Arkansas.
Mike Anderson vs Mizzou.
Yeah. We won't be competing with anyone in the SEC in basketball this year, methinks. Unless Anderson is some kind of freaking miracle worker (which some around here would have you believe). [Reply]
Originally Posted by NewChief:
Mizzou in the SEC will be pretty sweet for us. Should be able to develop a pretty good rivalry with Arkansas as it's an easy 5 hour drive, the easiest travel from school to school for either team.
Arkansas and Mizzou should be a great rivalry from the get go. You couldn't write a better script to get it started than having Anderson go to Arky right before Mizzou comes to the SEC. I'm really looking forward to it. [Reply]
Originally Posted by eazyb81:
Arkansas and Mizzou should be a great rivalry from the get go. You couldn't write a better script to get it started than having Anderson go to Arky right before Mizzou comes to the SEC. I'm really looking forward to it.
I really like Columbia, and I have folks I can stay with there... so I'm excited about a new possibility for away games (as right now the Dallas neutral game with A&M is our closest away game opportunity). [Reply]
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins:
I wonder if this will make DGB more likely to sign with Mizzou.
It's interesting for sure...
Originally Posted by :
How could the SEC tremors affect Dorial Green-Beckham's decision?
Arkansas and Alabama are both in the prestigious SEC, and the even more prestigious SEC West, and will stay there regardless of conference additions. Alabama is also a perennial contender for the national title.
Missouri is in the crumbling Big 12, and have thus far been left dry after banging on Chateau SEC's door.
Green-Beckham wants to stay close to home, and even assuming that he has school spirit for Mizzou, he'd be hard-pressed to justify to himself committing to an "on the rise" program in a conference that is falling apart under the smothering of Texas, the king of Hungry Hungry Hippos: Media Blitz version.
If Mizzou actually makes it into the SEC—and they seem to be the leading contenders for the 14th school—they will have a real shot at him. Until then, Arkansas is quivering with anticipation.
Originally Posted by NewChief:
Mizzou in the SEC will be pretty sweet for us. Should be able to develop a pretty good rivalry with Arkansas as it's an easy 5 hour drive, the easiest travel from school to school for either team.
It's really only about 6 1/2 hours from Columbia to Lexington....a 7 hour drive to Nashville... [Reply]
That's what I don't understand, the people who argue these Big XII teams going to the SEC will hurt their recruiting. I don't think it's going to hurt it at all. Yeah maybe you had a couple less Texas players, I guess. But I think this whole idea of moving to the SEC hurting any team's recruiting is absurd to me. [Reply]