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 DeezNutz:
I wanted the Big 10 because of the academic affiliations. When they added Nebraska, however, it was clear that academics mean very, very, very little in terms of conference realignment.
So, since it's all about football, bring on the SEC. Mizzou will have to be savvy to get to a point of being a threat in this league, but it will make for some fun Saturdays of watching great football/teams/players.
Nebraska was an AAU school when the Big 10 took them. Nice try.... [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saulbadguy:
Playing in the Big 10 is like eating at a crappy chinese buffet. It's bland, boring, and things tend to slowwwwwwwwwww down after a few plates.
speaking of, you should try Hong Kong sometime if you haven't....the new remodel did wonders. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DeezNutz:
Because all AAU schools are created equal. I mean, really, Nebraska is--I mean "was"--the same as Missouri, which is the same as Harvard.
All AAUs are the same thing.
Anyone who didn't know that Nebraska was/is a middling academic institution isn't knowledgeable about this subject.
Don't get me wrong, even otherwise mediocre places have some outstanding degree programs, but we're talking about overall cache of name.
but that's been MUs argument all along....they are AAU, and Big 10 was AAU, hell, now there's even been posturing that SEC would have more AAUs than the Big 12. So AAU means something.......or it's mean nothing? I'm confused. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bearcat:
These are always great... you pick the most boring from one side and the best from the SEC.
In restaurant terms: I'd much rather lick the filth off the floor of the kitchen at OK Joe's than eat the prime rib at the Majestic Steakhouse.
In dating terms: I'd much rather date the ugliest girl on eHarmony than the most beautiful lady in the bar.
In dancing terms: I'd much rather dance with the one legged woman on America's Got Talent than Anna Trebunskaya* on Dancing with the Stars.
In employment terms: I'd much rather be a security guard at Google than CEO of Apple.
*I Googled that...
LSU isn't the coolest SEC location. Would you prefer the Swamp in Florida? Between the hedges in Georgia? The grove in Mississippi? Bryant-Denny in Alabama? Neyland in Tennessee? [Reply]
Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.:
but that's been MUs argument all along....they are AAU, and Big 10 was AAU, hell, now there's even been posturing that SEC would have more AAUs than the Big 12. So AAU means something.......or it's mean nothing? I'm confused.
Of course it means something for the actual members, but the point is that there's still a hierarchy of AAU universities.
Does it really matter in terms of conference alignment? Not really. It's a bullshit talking point for university presidents and alumni. The CIC makes the Big 10 different, however, because there's an actual fiscal advantage for the academic side.
Nebraska was invited for football. Period. The academics obviously received little more than a cursory glance. Otherwise, other institutions in the conference wouldn't have been too surprised when UNL lost its AAU standing; it didn't happen overnight. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DeezNutz:
Of course it means something for the actual members, but the point is that there's still a hierarchy of AAU universities.
Does it really matter in terms of conference alignment? Not really. It's a bullshit talking point for university presidents and alumni. The CIC makes the Big 10 different, however, because there's an actual fiscal advantage for the academic side.
Nebraska as invited for football. Period. The academics obviously received little more than a cursory glance. Otherwise, other institutions in the conference wouldn't have been too surprised when UNL lost its AAU standing; it didn't happen overnight.
soooo....NU has singlehandedly ruined the academics of the Big 10? [Reply]
U of Missouri BOC is meeting at UMKC this Thurs/Fri and KK is generously willing to help people organize to protest the possibility of Mizzou leaving the Big 12.
Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.:
soooo....NU has singlehandedly ruined the academics of the Big 10?
Tarnished the overall image that "all of our members are AAU members?" Of course; it's no longer true, and that was one of the Big 10's calling cards. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DeezNutz:
U of Missouri BOC is meeting at UMKC this Thurs/Fri and KK is generously willing to help people organize to protest the possibility of Mizzou leaving the Big 12.
Originally Posted by DeezNutz:
U of Missouri BOC is meeting at UMKC this Thurs/Fri and KK is generously willing to help people organize to protest the possibility of Mizzou leaving the Big 12.
