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.
As someone else pointed out, the football program of the Pinkel era would walk into that conference a middle of the road team. Build from there.
Personally I think it would be more interesting to be a middle of the road team in the SEC, watching your team week to week playing games in storied places against big teams. It would be fun. A road game against LSU or Georgia would be fun to watch. Florida or Auburn coming to Columbia would be fun. It would give an interesting conference schedule every year. The conference slate of the Big 12 is not that interesting, sorry to say.
And are there many fun places to go? Austin for sure, but anyplace else? Lubbock? Waco? Ames, Iowa? Manhattan? Not that Columbia is great but still... Zzz.
I think being average in the SEC would be fun to watch right away, with a view to the future that looks good. [Reply]
Originally Posted by KChiefs1:
The envy & jealousy is palpable from the KU & KSU posters. You guys will land on your feet when Bevo decides to move to a prettier girl.
Is this PowerMizzou premium info? Cause I keep hearing it from you DeArmond disciples. so I'll just say this one more time:
No KSU fan on this board, nor any that I know irl, care if you stay or go. You, like your UP, BOC and most women I know, just can't seem to decide if you'll be beholden to the mysterious overlord in burnt orange or the mysterious overlords in Crimson.
I just hope that you personally have a chance togrow up to be the man your mother was. [Reply]
UCFSports Brandon Helwig
Tuesday's suddenly scheduled media teleconference indicates the Big East is looking to strike quick. #UCF #Houston #SMU #Boise #Navy #AFA [Reply]
Originally Posted by eazyb81:
Why would A&M leaving the conference cause the game to end though? UT is just being insecure and petty.
Oh I suppose we could both pretend that aTm didn't want out and pretend that they really didnt want to get away from UT or the Big IIX, but why would we both lie about that?
They wanted out. They got out. Why indulge their "pretty please? .. Honey? Please, please please let us play again" request?
I could use one of your scorned woman analogies and apply it to aTm but they're ridiculous and stupid, like aTm's begging request. So I won't bother with that. [Reply]
Supposedly, WVU is willing to sign on for increased exit fees. Guess they aren't moving this year. Good chance that there is some kind of out if they lose the automatic bid (just my speculation). [Reply]
Originally Posted by WilliamTheIrish:
Oh I suppose we could both pretend that aTm didn't want out and pretend that they really didnt want to get away from UT or the Big IIX, but why would we both lie about that?
They wanted out. They got out. Why indulge their "pretty please? .. Honey? Please, please please let us play again" request?
I could use one of your scorned woman analogies and apply it to aTm but they're ridiculous and stupid, like aTm's begging request. So I won't bother with that.
Of course A&M wanted out of the Big Leftover conference, which is why they left.
Again - why should that end the UT-A&M annual rivalry game? Are you under the impression that annual rivalry games are never between non-conference schools?
I would actually use my pimp-hoe analogy here instead of a scorned woman one. The remaining hoes are going to get an extra beating now that the UT's top hoe left them. [Reply]