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 mnchiefsguy:
Starting to see some tweets that Mizzou will commit to a conference in the next 48 hours. Seems out that they would announce on a Saturday, so probably won't hear anything till Monday if the rumors are true.
I think it took aTm 16 days from "exploring options" to being officially a member of the SEC. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mizzou_8541:
I think it took aTm 16 days from "exploring options" to being officially a member of the SEC.
Saw another tweet that says the 13 team schedule was not taken well at the AD meeting in the SEC, and that no one wants to play with 13 teams, so adding #14 may have moved up on their schedule as well. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mnchiefsguy:
Saw another tweet that says the 13 team schedule was not taken well at the AD meeting in the SEC, and that no one wants to play with 13 teams, so adding #14 may have moved up on their schedule as well.
IF this happens with Mizzou, I will be curious to see how the cross division rivals are handled, and where we end up. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mizzou_8541: IF this happens with Mizzou, I will be curious to see how the cross division rivals are handled, and where we end up.
I think the easiest thing to do is to put us in the East, A&M in the West, and make us the cross-division rivals. IMO, Auburn actually wants us in the West, so they can go East, and get out of LSU and Bama's division. This would mean that Bama, would either lose their yearly game with Tenn, or the Iron Bowl.
Neither of which Bama wants to give up. I'd say this is probably one of the issues they are working out to get the votes they need to allow MU into the conference. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Dr. Gigglepants:
I think the easiest thing to do is to put us in the East, A&M in the West, and make us the cross-division rivals. IMO, Auburn actually wants us in the West, so they can go East, and get out of LSU and Bama's division. This would mean that Bama, would either lose their yearly game with Tenn, or the Iron Bowl.
Neither of which Bama wants to give up. I'd say this is probably one of the issues they are working out to get the votes they need to allow MU into the conference.
This makes sense. If the Tigers land in the West, football is tougher with both Alabama and LSU in their division. But basketball would be much more competitve. Alabama won the SEC West in bball last year but still did not make the tourney. If Mizzou lands in the East, I think they will competitive much faster, as Florida is only real powerhouse over there. (TN is done, and I put Georgia and SC on a similar level with Mizzou). Bball would be much tougher though with both Kentucky and Florida in the East. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mnchiefsguy:
This makes sense. If the Tigers land in the West, football is tougher with both Alabama and LSU in their division. But basketball would be much more competitve. Alabama won the SEC West in bball last year but still did not make the tourney. If Mizzou lands in the East, I think they will competitive much faster, as Florida is only real powerhouse over there. (TN is done, and I put Georgia and SC on a similar level with Mizzou). Bball would be much tougher though with both Kentucky and Florida in the East.
Because of the Alabama situation in basketball last year the SEC voted to get rid of divisions in basketball. If you think Tennessee is done and Georgia/USC are cake-walks then you're nuts. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP:
Because of the Alabama situation in basketball last year the SEC voted to get rid of divisions in basketball. If you think Tennessee is done and Georgia/USC are cake-walks then you're nuts.
How did you get Georgia/USC are cake-walks out of him saying that they are on the same level as Mizzou? [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP:
Because of the Alabama situation in basketball last year the SEC voted to get rid of divisions in basketball. If you think Tennessee is done and Georgia/USC are cake-walks then you're nuts.
Wasn't implying that they are cake walks at all. Merely that if Mizzou was to play them, Mizzou would have a realistic shot at winning the game. Mizzou is not on the level of LSU, Bama, or Florida. If Mizzou was to beat one of them, it would be consider a big upset. If Mizzou was to beat Georgia on a Saturday afternoon, it might be an upset...but not a Sportcenter breaking news one. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP:
Because of the Alabama situation in basketball last year the SEC voted to get rid of divisions in basketball. If you think Tennessee is done and Georgia/USC are cake-walks then you're nuts.
So how is bball going to work then with 14 teams and no divisions? Will everyone play each other at least once? How will it be determined which opponents you play twice? [Reply]
I am becoming more and more excited about the possibility of Mizzou playing in the SEC. Hopefully, it works out for Mizzou and the university can finally rid itself of Texas. [Reply]
