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 Saul Good:
What a bunch of bullshit. Porn and fireworks are awesome, and you know it. This is especially true when used in conjunction.
Originally Posted by Mr. Plow:
I have no idea about the academics of this move, but really - academics have as much to do with any of this as basketball does.
I wouldn't agree with that. I think each conference has different goals for expansion. Academic perception is definitely a major consideration due to the indirect impact on other conference members through research funding and prestige, but that alone is not enough to get someone like Tulane or Rice a major conference spot.
Football, TV draw (either national following or strong local markets), and academics are the main focus points and each conference ranks them differently based on their own situation. Big 12 is trying to survive and maintain its TV contracts so football is the main priority; WVU is a great fit. Big Ten wanted national following and football tradition; Nebraska is a great fit. SEC wanted major TV markets, very good academics to help the league's perception, and solid all-around athletics; A&M and Mizzou are great fits. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Raiderhader:
So KSU basketball would face Huggins once to twice a year.... Interesting
Is there bad blood between KSU and Huggins? I thought most KSU fans had no problem with him since he helped turnaround the program and gave them Frank Martin. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mr. Plow:
I have no idea about the academics of this move, but really - academics have as much to do with any of this as basketball does.
Of course you don't. Your posts make that point for you. Academics have never been too high on your radar, Plow. :-)
The quicker the Big 12 can get back to 12 the better. It doesn't matter who they bring in. They are all just place holders until Texas can get Bucklevision profitable, and then they'll decide the next move.
And speaking of host organisms gladly submitting themselves to Texas, nice job by the Beakers to sell their souls to the LHN. That was really helpful...to Texas, not to the conference. [Reply]
Originally Posted by buddha:
Of course you don't. Your posts make that point for you. Academics have never been too high on your radar, Plow. :-)
The quicker the Big 12 can get back to 12 the better. It doesn't matter who they bring in. They are all just place holders until Texas can get Bucklevision profitable, and then they'll decide the next move.
And speaking of host organisms gladly submitting themselves to Texas, nice job by the Beakers to sell their souls to the LHN. That was really helpful...to Texas, not to the conference.
Originally Posted by eazyb81:
Is there bad blood between KSU and Huggins? I thought most KSU fans had no problem with him since he helped turnaround the program and gave them Frank Martin.
When he needed a fresh start and no one would give it to him but KSU, he bolted after only one year.
I think were better off with Martin, but that was still shitty. [Reply]
Originally Posted by eazyb81:
I wouldn't agree with that. I think each conference has different goals for expansion. Academic perception is definitely a major consideration due to the indirect impact on other conference members through research funding and prestige, but that alone is not enough to get someone like Tulane or Rice a major conference spot.
Football, TV draw (either national following or strong local markets), and academics are the main focus points and each conference ranks them differently based on their own situation. Big 12 is trying to survive and maintain its TV contracts so football is the main priority; WVU is a great fit. Big Ten wanted national following and football tradition; Nebraska is a great fit. SEC wanted major TV markets, very good academics to help the league's perception, and solid all-around athletics; A&M and Mizzou are great fits.
I'm not saying that academics are completely thrown out the window - but you & I know that this is all about football and TV's. The only academic conversation that I've seen was talk about how when/if MU moves to the SEC they will have the same # of AAU schools as the Big 12. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Raiderhader:
When he needed a fresh start and no one would give it to him but KSU, he bolted after only one year.
I think were better off with Martin, but that was still shitty.
That's one of my biggest regrets... wish Alden had been ballsy enough to go hard after Huggins. The job was open... and there was talk (from a prominent basketball-crazy booster I had a conversation with) that OJ Mayo might have come along to Columbia if Huggy landed there instead of Manhattan.
He still bolts Mizzou for WVU, IMO, but it would have been fun to watch Mayo, Beaseley and Walker together for a year. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
The guy went home. Can't blame him for that. He made KSU basketball relevant. It worked out well for everyone.
No one knew it was going to work out well at the time. Martin was a completely unknown and untested guy.
Huggins had gotten into some trouble and was out of coaching until KSU went out on a limb with him, and that is how he thanked them for that gamble. [Reply]
