Funny Stuff New Conference re-alignment thread - Page 379

The old one has AIDS.

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.

Stay tuned.
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Originally Posted by HolyHandgernade:
And soon, KC, MO won't be in the middle of Big XII country, nor will it be a Big XII city. What I can't believe is that people from KC, MO would think the Big XII would want to continue it in KC, MO. It makes absolutely no sense. It will move to OKC and spots in Texas. I don't know why people would think the conference would be hunky dory with giving a non Big XII city revenues generated from a Big XII event. Does any other Big 6 conference do that?

Yeah, it sucks, especially since Lawrence is so close and it would still be a great place for the tourney. If it wasn't for the state line, it would be like Atlanta, which hosts ACC and SEC events because of Georgia Tech & Georgia.

OKC is only five hours away. :-)

Pleeeeeeeeeaassssseeeee stay!!! :-)

Really though, it's not like it's KCMO's decision... I get the logic of not wanting a Big 12 event in an SEC state, but like it's been said, the Big 12 would be cutting off its nose to spite its face. If they have events in KCMO, they could at least pretend that it's more of a Big 12 market, while the SEC events stay in the Southeast.
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Originally Posted by eazyb81:
But all Big 12 fans, even OU and TX fans, say the Big 12 tournament sucks in Dallas and OKC compared to KC. Even if Mizzou is gone, you still have three local schools. You would really rather have a shittier tournament just to not have it in KCMO?

There's no doubt it won't be as good, but there's no sense in continuing to hold it in a state that doesn't have a conference member. Nebraska is gone, MU may be. OKC really isn't that much futher, you can make it in under a day. Further for ISU, but what isn't? I feel bad for KC, but if the state school has little regard for those traditions and histories, why should the conference it was once a member of continue them? I mean, if MU doesn't see the Big XII as the future they want to hold, then KC, MO and St. Louis will have to look south with their school.
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Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.:
it would, as would be giving all that money to a city and state not affiliated otherwise with the conference. I bet having the tourney in Vegas would be beneficial for attendance too...but it isn't gonna happen.

Yeah, Vegas is an apt comparison to KC. And the fact that Kemper/Sprint Center was/is considered Allen Field House East will have nothing to do with what happens in the future.

When the drama cloud settles, I'd be willing to bet that Sprint Center will still be hosting the basketball tournament. And everything will be OK.

Because it's not just a revenue boost for the state of Missouri. I know quite a few people who go in for the tournament and stay in Overland Park.
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Originally Posted by Bearcat:
Yeah, it sucks, especially since Lawrence is so close and it would still be a great place for the tourney. If it wasn't for the state line, it would be like Atlanta, which hosts ACC and SEC events because of Georgia Tech & Georgia.

OKC is only five hours away. :-)

Pleeeeeeeeeaassssseeeee stay!!! :-)

Really though, it's not like it's KCMO's decision... I get the logic of not wanting a Big 12 event in an SEC state, but like it's been said, the Big 12 would be cutting off its nose to spite its face. If they have events in KCMO, they could at least pretend that it's more of a Big 12 market, while the SEC events stay in the Southeast.

Here's the thing. KU, KSU and ISU fans all benefit from it staying in KC, but seven other schools don't. There's no way the Big XII as a whole supports it and there's no way those three schools would put up much of a fight to try. More of a "it sucks, but what are you going to do, reward Missouri?"

I've been to OKC Bricktown. If they decide to settle in there and give them a chance to make it there own, it could still be a great event. It will never be KC, but, that's one of the traditions that gets tossed aside in these 100 year decisions.
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