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.
The conference is getting stronger with the addition of a BCS winner in TCU.
Tough to really worry about a program that doesn't bring much as far as athletic accomplishment goes.
All the schools moving (Nebraska, Syracuse, Pitt, TCU).... less to do with tv sets than everyone originally thought. Which is MU's only strong point.
It's about strong programs and MU simply doesn't have much as far as that goes.
Mizzou has been perennial top 25 contenders in football, basketball, and baseball for a number of years now. To argue that TCU is better is asinine. [Reply]
Originally Posted by MoreLemonPledge:
Mizzou has been perennial top 25 contenders in football, basketball, and baseball for a number of years now. To argue that TCU is better is asinine.
The conference is getting stronger with the addition of a BCS winner in TCU.
Tough to really worry about a program that doesn't bring much as far as athletic accomplishment goes.
All the schools moving (Nebraska, Syracuse, Pitt, TCU).... less to do with tv sets than everyone originally thought. Which is MU's only strong point.
It's about strong programs and MU simply doesn't have much as far as that goes.
This is wrong on so many levels. Time and time again it has been proven to mainly be about TV sets. Syracuse and Pittsburgh give the ACC the entire East Coast from Miami clear up to New York City.
Even TCU's move is about TV sets..as in Texas was willing to let them in because having TCU in the Big XII with the LHN is better than having to go to the Pac12 with no LHN.
Nebraska's move was about their brand....a NATIONAL brand that brings TV sets to the Big 10 network across the country.
Saying MU is not a strong program is just stupid. 40 wins in 4 years in football, 2 elite eights since 2000, and success in the lesser non-revenue sports as well.
Of course, one would not expect you to see any of that, with your face firmly planted in Texas' crotch. [Reply]
Originally Posted by UCF Knight:
I don't have the hatred for USF that most UCF folks do. When I was there USF wasn't really worth a shit. I hope UCF does get this invite though... will be great to see them on TV a lot.
Yeah, I live in the Tampa area so there are obviously a lot of USF students and alum. Some of the people I work with are huge USF homers and every year they claim they're the best in the state and then they go blow it and then spiral downward to an unranked finish. In everyone else's eyes they're on the same level as UCF (who is definitely on the upswing), but the little USF homers think they're UF, FSU, or Miami. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP:
Yeah, I live in the Tampa area so there are obviously a lot of USF students and alum. Some of the people I work with are huge USF homers and every year they claim they're the best in the state and then they go blow it and then spiral downward to an unranked finish. In everyone else's eyes they're on the same level as UCF (who is definitely on the upswing), but the little USF homers think they're UF, FSU, or Miami.
I know USF has beaten Florida State recently, did they beat Miami too? [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP:
Yeah, I live in the Tampa area so there are obviously a lot of USF students and alum. Some of the people I work with are huge USF homers and every year they claim they're the best in the state and then they go blow it and then spiral downward to an unranked finish. In everyone else's eyes they're on the same level as UCF (who is definitely on the upswing), but the little USF homers think they're UF, FSU, or Miami.
It can't be any worse than working with a bunch of Beakers constantly saying "Who's that, what's UCF?" [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
Care to post the articles right before aTm broke out? Nearly identical.
I'd be curious to see a couple of the articles if you have any links. I've done a little looking back, but I can't seem to find any of the articles saying anything. The only ones I run across are the acceptance of A&M into the SEC & the legal crap. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mr. Plow:
I'd be curious to see a couple of the articles if you have any links. I've done a little looking back, but I can't seem to find any of the articles saying anything. The only ones I run across are the acceptance of A&M into the SEC & the legal crap.
They're out there, but I'm not going to dig for them. The articles all said the same thing, we're not interested in expanding at this time. It sparked this classic cartoon.