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 Reaper16:
I want it too, but that is not realistic. It makes me legitimately sad.
It's too bad we won't get fucked out of the Orange Bowl because the conference doesn't care enough about the integrity of the process to stand up for it's members. /wipes tear [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
It doesn't go away at all, but it's not as intense when you don't have to go to work the next day with fans of the other team. That's just human nature.
As far as the conference schedule being brutal in the SEC, that's why Mizzou would want to play a non-con against KU. We could use a cupcake to fatten ourselves up.
Truthfully, the KU/MU game would be the biggest game of the year for Kansas football. It would be about the 5th biggest for Mizzou football.
Funny thing to say about a school your team hasn't defeated three years in a row in over 20 years.
Especially factoring in when said team has done it to yours twice in that time span.
Originally Posted by ReeTodd_KC:
Its funny to see all the butt hurt KU fans here.. so now were are down to posting pictures of peoples empty stadiums and talking attendace smack.
Jesus. MU is doing the right thing... Bailing on a failing conference is the RIGHT thing to do.
I am envy of MU and the SEC... Nothing the Big 12 does now will make a shit difference. It appears its a sinking ship full of junk.
Oh, I'm envious... I love SEC football, and it would be awesome if KU had a good enough football program to join that level of competition.
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
It doesn't go away at all, but it's not as intense when you don't have to go to work the next day with fans of the other team. That's just human nature.
As far as the conference schedule being brutal in the SEC, that's why Mizzou would want to play a non-con against KU. We could use a cupcake to fatten ourselves up.
Truthfully, the KU/MU game would be the biggest game of the year for Kansas football. It would be about the 5th biggest for Mizzou football.
That would be a dangerous cupcake... just like we've both said, it's KU's SB. I don't know why MU would want to risk losing an OOC rivalry game. [Reply]
What's sad is how the original Big 8 schools bowed to TX and set the wheels in motion for this thing to blow the fuck up. Too bad there wasn't more effective leadership when the league came to fruition. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bowser:
Good for KU to actually get up for a game now and again. Take that fire and use it against the Oklahoma and Texas teams now.
Get up for a game now and again? You make it sound like it was some kind of challenge to beat MU in the past years. :-)
MU's program has been on a a slow upswing since Pinkel took over, but don't act like it's some kind of a powerhouse program. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DeezNutz:
What's sad is how the original Big 8 schools bowed to TX and set the wheels in motion for this thing to blow the fuck up. Too bad there wasn't more effective leadership when the league came to fruition.
If there was a way to turn back the clock and never create the BIG XII, and just leave the Big 8 as it was, I would be totally for it. Letting Texas schools in destroyed it. [Reply]
