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 tomahawk kid:
Y'know - I've always thought in relation to sports, if other fans are hating on your team, it means you're doing something right.
The ridiculous predictions (i.e. Mizzou will be the Iowa State of the SEC) & the amount of venom and anger being spewed towards Mizzou reinforces the thought we're 100% making the correct move here.
So you can be next to irrelevant in another conference while trying to invent new rivalries with Arkansas. Oh, wait, they'll be in the West. Whose gonna hate you there? [Reply]
Originally Posted by tomahawk kid:
Y'know - I've always thought in relation to sports, if other fans are hating on your team, it means you're doing something right.
The ridiculous predictions (i.e. Mizzou will be the Iowa State of the SEC) & the amount of venom and anger being spewed towards Mizzou reinforces the thought we're 100% making the correct move here.
How is quitting on a conference the right thing? Hell, the SEC schools have voted to keep MU out. [Reply]
Originally Posted by HolyHandgernade:
So you can be next to irrelevant in another conference while trying to invent new rivalries with Arkansas. Oh, wait, they'll be in the West. Whose gonna hate you there?
Irrelevant? Have you looked at the SEC East lately?
Originally Posted by tomahawk kid:
Irrelevant? Have you looked at the SEC East lately?
We could compete in that division today.
Could care less if anyone "hates" us.
You aren't even competing in the Big XII. You should know better than to look at any one year and judge how you are going to fare. Not many spread teams down south, good luck. [Reply]
Originally Posted by HolyHandgernade:
So you can be next to irrelevant in another conference?
Exactly. The commissioner and university presidents are going to sit around, discussing which irrelevant university to admit into the conference. Because, shit, it's fun! [Reply]
Originally Posted by tomahawk kid:
The ridiculous predictions (i.e. Mizzou will be the Iowa State of the SEC) & the amount of venom and anger being spewed towards Mizzou reinforces the thought we're 100% making the correct move here.
I must have missed all of the venom & anger. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DeezNutz:
Because he's scared that their departure will further destabilize the conference, thus jeopardizing the standing of the proud purple.
No it's because Kansas City would lose the Big XII tournament. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DeezNutz:
Exactly. The commissioner and university presidents are going to sit around, discussing which irrelevant university to admit into the conference. Because, shit, it's fun!
You and I both know the "attractiveness" of Mizzou lies in its potential TV markets. Don't get me wrong, you're not awful, but your athletic reputation is not why the SEC is being coerced into accepting you. [Reply]
Originally Posted by HolyHandgernade:
You aren't even competing in the Big XII. You should know better than to look at any one year and judge how you are going to fare. Not many spread teams down south, good luck.
I guess we have different definitions of "competing".
40 wins in 4 years sounds like competing to me, but maybe I'm off my rocker.
No doubt we'll have to adjust many of our approaches, both on and off the field - but I don't think that's a reason not to go. [Reply]