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 bobbything:
Would you continue to play KU in the state of Kansas if they bolted to the Pac 12?
At Livestrong? 30 minutes from Lawrence, and 3 hours from Columbia? Probably not. If the Kansas border stretched over to Arrowhead which is 2 and a half hours from Columbia and an hour and fifteen minutes from Lawrence? Sure. [Reply]
Originally Posted by bobbything:
The rivalry would/will not be anywhere near the same if MU moves conferences. You know that as well as anyone. The rivalry is what it is because they're in the same conference.
Uhhhh, we had a pretty intense rivalry before football and basketball were invented. [Reply]
Originally Posted by bobbything:
The rivalry would/will not be anywhere near the same if MU moves conferences. You know that as well as anyone. The rivalry is what it is because they're in the same conference.
Originally Posted by Pants:
I would say the same thing about the basketball game, but I just don't think KU has anything to gain by scheduling MU in the Sprint center and taking another non-con game out.
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
The ****? What game is KU going to schedule that makes as much money as the Border War at Arrowhead?
As far as Illinois goes, MU/Illinois don't have a 100+ year history. Champaign is 200 miles from the nearest big city in Missouri. Missourians never burned Champaign to the ground. That is a piss-poor comparison.
If KU commits to scheduling MU in it's non-con, their chances of achieving bowl eligibility will take a significant hit. Does anyone believe KU is going to win 3+ games with any regularity in the Big XII? [Reply]
Originally Posted by bobbything:
The rivalry would/will not be anywhere near the same if MU moves conferences. You know that as well as anyone. The rivalry is what it is because they're in the same conference.
The rivalry is what is because KU hates MU & MU hates KU and we want, and hope for, the worst for our counterpart. It has nothing to do with being in the same conference. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla:
The SEC will be less fun for the fans./KK
I'm going to miss Ames, Lawrence, Manhattan, Waco, Stillwater, etc. when we are forced to play in Gainesville, Athens, Knoxville, Fayetville, Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, etc. [Reply]
Originally Posted by patteeu:
If KU commits to scheduling MU in it's non-con, their chances of achieving bowl eligibility will take a significant hit. Does anyone believe KU is going to win 3+ games with any regularity in the Big XII?
I don't think they can win 2+ now. Maybe when the city schools come marching in. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
I'm going to miss Ames, Lawrence, Manhattan, Waco, Stillwater, etc. when we are forced to play in Gainesville, Athens, Knoxville, Fayetville, Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, etc.
Just curious?
do you or did you travel alot for the road games? [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mr. Plow:
The rivalry is what is because KU hates MU & MU hates KU and we want, and hope for, the worst for our counterpart. It has nothing to do with being in the same conference.
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
I'm going to miss Ames, Lawrence, Manhattan, Waco, Stillwater, etc. when we are forced to play in Gainesville, Athens, Knoxville, Fayetville, Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, etc.
Yeah....Columbia ranks right up there with the best SEC towns. Columbia has always been this hidden gem in the crapfest that is the Big 12. [Reply]