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 ReeTodd_KC:
So Today is the Day that MU Announces they are the next member of the SEC?
Who knows? The ball's in Mizzou's court. I just hope to God that we don't decide to accept all the concessions and announce that we're "proud members of the Big XII". [Reply]
Originally Posted by eazyb81:
The only thing TCU to the Big 12 will accomplish is reducing the number of Texas recruits that will consider KU, KSU, and ISU. Congrats.
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
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.
I've seen several MU guys say "nearly identical" and I couldn't remember the articles, was thinking you might have a link to one. Thanks for the message board cartoon though. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
No exit fees, then? Sweet. Hell, we can then sue the conference for breach of contract.
Don't think that setting a deadline will get you out of exit fees. We aren't kicking you out, just telling you to make a decision....you still have the choice to make (and the fees to pay). [Reply]
Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.:
Don't think that setting a deadline will get you out of exit fees. We aren't kicking you out, just telling you to make a decision....you still have the choice to make (and the fees to pay).
Deadline for what? We signed a contract that puts us in the Big XII. We don't have to renegotiate. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
It's probably true. The rise of additional Texas teams isn't good for anyone outside of Texas.
TCU is already recruiting at a high level in TX due to their own success. Being in the B12 won't improve their recruiting in a state they are already popular with for HS kids. They have, for the past 5 yrs or so, got mainly 3 star TX kids with a few 4 stars scattered about. That isn't going to change one way or the other by coming to the B12. jmho [Reply]
Originally Posted by ChiTown:
TCU is already recruiting at a high level in TX due to their own success. Being in the B12 won't improve their recruiting in a state they are already popular with for HS kids. They have, for the past 5 yrs or so, got mainly 3 star TX kids with a few 4 stars scattered about. That isn't going to change one way or the other by coming to the B12. jmho
Sure it will. Kids would rather go to a major program, especially one that will play against the Longhorns on a regular basis and have a chance to play for a national title if they run the table.
It's hard to convince players to come play in a crappy conference. There are a ton of players in Texas, and UT gets the first choice. That won't change. Baylor, aTm, and Tech all get to play the "we're in a major conference in the state of Texas" card. That tends to trump what the WAC had to offer. Then, the rest of the schools in the Big XII got to play the "we're in a BCS conference and will play against Texas" card.
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
Sure it will. Kids would rather go to a major program, especially one that will play against the Longhorns on a regular basis and have a chance to play for a national title if they run the table.
It's hard to convince players to come play in a crappy conference. There are a ton of players in Texas, and UT gets the first choice. That won't change. Baylor, aTm, and Tech all get to play the "we're in a major conference in the state of Texas" card. That tends to trump what the WAC had to offer. Then, the rest of the schools in the Big XII got to play the "we're in a BCS conference and will play against Texas" card.
Those cards are gone now.
But since TCU is going to go back to the cellar with the increased competition, that will work itself out, right? :-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by ChiTown:
TCU is already recruiting at a high level in TX due to their own success. Being in the B12 won't improve their recruiting in a state they are already popular with for HS kids. They have, for the past 5 yrs or so, got mainly 3 star TX kids with a few 4 stars scattered about. That isn't going to change one way or the other by coming to the B12. jmho
TCU will recruit even better when their sales pitch is now that a kid can stay home and play in the Big 12, instead of play in the Big East or go to a northern Big 12 school. You are delusional if you don't think this hurts Texas recruiting for non-Texas schools. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
Sure it will. Kids would rather go to a major program, especially one that will play against the Longhorns on a regular basis and have a chance to play for a national title if they run the table.
It's hard to convince players to come play in a crappy conference. There are a ton of players in Texas, and UT gets the first choice. That won't change. Baylor, aTm, and Tech all get to play the "we're in a major conference in the state of Texas" card. That tends to trump what the WAC had to offer. Then, the rest of the schools in the Big XII got to play the "we're in a BCS conference and will play against Texas" card.
Those cards are gone now.
So, you think the level of recruiting for TCU, which was #26 in team rankings by Rivals in 2011, is going to improve so much that it is going to adversely effect KSU, KU and ISU recruiting in TX? I think you are overstating an opinion that can't be backed up at this point. [Reply]
Originally Posted by :
So far, the Big 12 has indicated to Sterk that it was “looking more east than west and staying in their footprint right now.” But Sterk said Big 12 officials also told him SDSU’s package was “good powerful information, well put together and that they would look at it as their realignment committee developed.”
