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 Mosbonian:
Maybe it's just me, but as an MU fan I would just as soon get the hell out of the Big 12. Any attempt to save it now is just another delay until Texas gets what it wants from another conference or decides to go independent. OU may stay here this year but when the PAC 12 comes calling again, at that time they will pack up and go.
To hell with this soap opera we see every year. Let's get out while we still have some sense of our dignity and a decent conference wants us. Otherwise we'll join the rest of what will be left of the Big 12 next year looking for a MWC/MAC or Big Least merger.
MU would be a solid addition to any conference. Solid all-around athletics, academically sound and two TV markets.
I don't understand why some MU fans (not singling you out) seem worried about not getting a seat at a good table. [Reply]
Originally Posted by vailpass:
MU would be a solid addition to any conference. Solid all-around athletics, academically sound and two TV markets.
I don't understand why some MU fans (not singling you out) seem worried about not getting a seat at a good table.
That' OK vailpass...I'm fine with being singled out. I stepped out and put this here.
My biggest concern is Brady Deaton...here's a guy who could be handed a note with the winning numbers for tomorrow's Powerball and still manage to not win it.
And if he can't mess it up, then our old buddy Mike will. [Reply]
Originally Posted by : Tentative plan for Mizzou to join SEC, Auburn would move to East, sources say
Mizzou logo 9-20-11.jpeg
The Southeastern Conference and the University of Missouri have informally agreed that, barring new developments, the school will join the league and that Auburn University will move to the SEC East Division, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
A majority of presidents has endorsed the informal agreement, the sources said.
The league already plans to add Texas A&M as its 13th member, provided potential legal challenges from some remaining Big 12 members disappear. Missouri, also a member of the Big 12, would be the 14th member of the SEC.
Because both of those schools are located to the western side of the SEC's basic footprint, that prompted discussions of moving a current West Division school to the East Division. Auburn is the easternmost school in the West Division. A third person familiar with the discussions confirmed that Auburn would move to the East if Missouri joins the league.
A timetable for when Missouri would join the SEC, if the informal agreement becomes official, was not immediately known.
On Monday, the boards of regents of two big-name Big 12 schools, Texas and Oklahoma, authorized their presidents to explore new conferences. Oklahoma's president said it is considering the Pac-12, as might Texas. The presidents of both schools have said remaining in the Big 12 remains an option.
Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini:
OU now demanding Bebee to be fired
"Saving" the Big 12 is a complete waste of energy at this point unless TX is going to become a "regular" member, which they will never support. Therefore, putting a Band-Aid on this whole thing seems like an incredible exercise in futility.
Originally Posted by Mosbonian:
That' OK vailpass...I'm fine with being singled out. I stepped out and put this here.
My biggest concern is Brady Deaton...here's a guy who could be handed a note with the winning numbers for tomorrow's Powerball and still manage to not win it.
And if he can't mess it up, then our old buddy Mike will.
Don't sell yourself short Judge Schmaels; you're a tremendous slouch. :-)
Mizzou will be fine. [Reply]
Mizzou to the SEC East makes way more sense than it does to the SEC West. Missouri borders two East states vs one West state. Plus, Auburn moving East would really affect schedules. SEC teams get exactly one cross-division game added to their permanent schedule. Alabama's permanent rival is Tennessee. If Auburn moves East then it means that Alabama would have to choose either TN or AU.
Putting Mizzou in the east preserves historic rivalries. It also allows Mizzou to add A&M as their cross-division rival game, helping to preserve Mizzou's Texas recruiting pipeline. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Reaper16:
Mizzou to the SEC East makes way more sense than it does to the SEC West. Missouri borders two East states vs one West state. Plus, Auburn moving East would really affect schedules. SEC teams get exactly one cross-division game added to their permanent schedule. Alabama's permanent rival is Tennessee. If Auburn moves East then it means that Alabama would have to choose either TN or AU.
Putting Mizzou in the east preserves historic rivalries. It also allows Mizzou to add A&M as their cross-division rival game, helping to preserve Mizzou's Texas recruiting pipeline.
Auburn wants to go East. After the Tide, they would rather play Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Reaper16:
Mizzou to the SEC East makes way more sense than it does to the SEC West. Missouri borders two East states vs one West state. Plus, Auburn moving East would really affect schedules. SEC teams get exactly one cross-division game added to their permanent schedule. Alabama's permanent rival is Tennessee. If Auburn moves East then it means that Alabama would have to choose either TN or AU.
Putting Mizzou in the east preserves historic rivalries. It also allows Mizzou to add A&M as their cross-division rival game, helping to preserve Mizzou's Texas recruiting pipeline.
I agree that Mizzou to the East definitely makes sense (I think I might have proof that I was the first person to ever type this idea on the interwebz), but we might actually prefer to play in the West though so we can build rivalries with Arkansas, A&M, and Ole Miss.
When the Big 12 expanded, it killed the Nubs-OU rivalry. If only one annual SEC rivalry gets impacted by expansion, I'd consider that a success. [Reply]
