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.
You've spent the entire last month saying Missouri should leave because Texas is just sticking around long enough to build the LHN and then they're gonna go independent.
So now suddenly you're saying that they're gonna belong to a superconference?
Never mind. I didn't realize you were just making things up. [Reply]
Originally Posted by allen_kcCard:
Yes, because it is impossible for that to be their intention, and at the same time impossible that they end up not being able to do so and end up having to go to a superconference instead. In both of those scenarios, MU going to the SEC is the right move if they have the opportunity.
If it goes to superconferences, the LHN will be worthless because Texas won't be able to fill a schedule. They will drop the LHN and join the PAC IMO. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
If it goes to superconferences, the LHN will be worthless because Texas won't be able to fill a schedule. They will drop the LHN and join the PAC IMO.
Right, so whether you said it or not, both of the things he said that you said are theoretically correct. [Reply]
Originally Posted by allen_kcCard:
Right, so whether you said it or not, both of the things he said that you said are theoretically correct.
I agree, just expanding on the point.
The anti-trust thing is dumb as well. There are already multiple divisions in football. There is no reason that 64 (more likely 60 or 62) teams can't form their own division. Hell, they could tell the NCAA to fuck right off if they really wanted. I don't think they would, and I think there would still be bowl games in addition to the playoff, but I see no major hurdles that couldn't be overcome. We are talking about massive institutions with tremendous pull within their respective states. What politician is going to stand in their way when every state with a major football program is represented? [Reply]
Originally Posted by allen_kcCard:
Yes, because it is impossible for that to be their intention, and at the same time impossible that they end up not being able to do so and end up having to go to a superconference instead. In both of those scenarios, MU going to the SEC is the right move if they have the opportunity.
Who cares, if the super conferences come then Missouri could move then. It's not like they are Iowa State and Baylor and will be begging for a home.
They might even get the Big 10 which it appeared the wanted in the first place. [Reply]
Originally Posted by kcfan82:
Who cares, if the super conferences come then Missouri could move then. It's not like they are Iowa State and Baylor and will be begging for a home.
They might even get the Big 10 which it appeared the wanted in the first place.
No, but its a lot better move to do it now to have the security, in case something really fucked up happens.
they (B12) can preach all they want to about being stable and wanting to move forward and expanding, but the reality of it all is that this ESPN/Longhorn network was a death blow to the conference....period. I don't blame MU for one second in wanting to get away from that mess and unfair advantage it gives to ONE school in the conf.
Meanwhile I think MU will be able to recruit the HELL out of the tier 2/3 players from states like Bama, Georgia, Florida, and other schools they wouldn't normally have access too now....they will still be able to have the TX pipeline. [Reply]
Originally Posted by kcfan82:
Who cares, if the super conferences come then Missouri could move then. It's not like they are Iowa State and Baylor and will be begging for a home.
They might even get the Big 10 which it appeared the wanted in the first place.
Why not just stay on this sinking ship until it's completely under water instead of getting on the yacht that pull up alongside us? There will be plenty of life rafts later.
And screw the B1G and screw their junior membership offer. [Reply]
Originally Posted by CoMoChief:
No, but its a lot better move to do it now to have the security, in case something really ****ed up happens.
they (B12) can preach all they want to about being stable and wanting to move forward and expanding, but the reality of it all is that this ESPN/Longhorn network was a death blow to the conference....period. I don't blame MU for one second in wanting to get away from that mess and unfair advantage it gives to ONE school in the conf.
Meanwhile I think MU will be able to recruit the HELL out of the tier 2/3 players from states like Bama, Georgia, Florida, and other schools they wouldn't normally have access too now....they will still be able to have the TX pipeline.
Honestly I'm not one of those people who say Missouri can't compete in the SEC. Take a look, the SEC has the most 4 and 5 star recruits of any conference, and they are dispersed among the teams.
It's just bad for Kansas City, because there is no way in hell we'll ever see an SEC basketball or football championship here.
That's 400 million over the last X years that is just going away.
I enjoy the rivalries. If Mizzou leaves for the SEC, I will end up hating them way less, and not have anger towards them and become apathetic about them... I want to keep the hate, dammit. [Reply]
