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 Pants:
The programs B12 is going for are going to love this gym because it's going to make them a shit ton more money than their previous gym.
It's not like B12 is planning on plucking B10 members.
I don't think they're too worried about their "image" at this point.
BYU wasn't impressed. You're competing with the Big East and the ACC. If you want crap schools that are just happy to be along for the ride, go for it. If you want Rutgers or WVU, that's different. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Pants:
I disagree. I would have no problem if he said he did not believe that Kansas would leave the conference due to the steep exit fees.
Maybe not in 2006, but this is 2011 after NU, CU, and TA&M were let out easy. I would not be happy at all. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
BYU wasn't impressed. You're competing with the Big East and the ACC. If you want crap schools that are just happy to be along for the ride, go for it. If you want Rutgers or WVU, that's different.
BYU is an odd duck. I don't know that they are in the mood to join ANY conference, unless it somehow became required.
"It's not about the money" is usually a blatant lie, as well as being a silly cliche, but with BYU it really isn't about the money. The church can meet all their financial needs, so its really about them being more comfortable with independence along with their bizarre honor code and refusal to play on Sundays. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
BYU wasn't impressed. You're competing with the Big East and the ACC. If you want crap schools that are just happy to be along for the ride, go for it. If you want Rutgers or WVU, that's different.
BYU didn't want to open their books so they opted to stay independent. You will have a point about BYU when they join a different conference. We'll see how it plays out with L'ville and WVU. No idea why you've brought Rutgers up. [Reply]
Originally Posted by alnorth:
Maybe not in 2006, but this is 2011 after NU, CU, and TA&M were let out easy. I would not be happy at all.
We don't really know if aTm is being let out easy or not. No final exit fee figure has been released for them yet. If them and Mizzou leave at the same time, one would expect the figures to be similar I would expect. [Reply]
Originally Posted by patteeu:
As far as I'm concerned it's just meaningless noise. He has to respond to inquiries from the media and I would expect someone in his position to play the role of someone who couldn't possibly see Mizzou deciding to leave the conference even if he actually knows they're already gone. (I'm not saying that I know they're gone, I'm just saying they might be and he might already know it).
Originally Posted by Pants:
I disagree. I would have no problem if he said he did not believe that Kansas would leave the conference due to the steep exit fees.
Just like Kansas, no one in position to do so at MU has claimed that MU is contemplating leaving.
Shouldn't the message be that Mizzou should stay because of all the great things the Big XII has to offer? Instead, Mizzou should stay because the conference has a gun pointed at its members' heads. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
Shouldn't the message be that Mizzou should stay because of all the great things the Big XII has to offer? Instead, Mizzou should stay because the conference has a gun pointed at its members' heads.
He's said that as well. Still not sure what the big deal is. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Pants:
BYU didn't want to open their books so they opted to stay independent. You will have a point about BYU when they join a different conference. We'll see how it plays out with L'ville and WVU. No idea why you've brought Rutgers up.
BYU would open its books for the B1G in a heartbeat.
Louisville is a crappy city school, and neither they nor WVU appear to have any options at the moment. I brought up Rutgers because they have declared free agency and would be a big addition. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Pants:
He's said that as well. Still not sure what the big deal is.
The big deal is that MU has made no action towards leaving. Neinas just told his wife that he'll kill her if she ever leaves him, and he did it with the cameras running.
I'm not mad. Every time he opens his mouth, I see $$$$. I can't believe how ham-fisted this guy is. I'm not used to seeing someone this incompetent working outside Mizzou. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
The big deal is that MU has made no action towards leaving. Neinas just told his wife that he'll kill her if she ever leaves him, and he did it with the cameras running.
No, he told his wife that he will take all her money if she leaves as was previously agreed upon in their prenup and happens to be public knowledge. [Reply]
