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 DaKCMan AP:
If WVU was an upgrade then the SEC would want them. The SEC doesn't.
unlike some of the other moves, this choice sounded like it actually had to do with academics. Mizzou=good, WV-bad, and the SEC needed that sort of upgrade unlike all the other conferences.
WV competes in both football and basketball, its an upgrade IMHO. if it weren't for the KU/MU rivalry, it would be a no-brainer. [Reply]
Originally Posted by sedated:
unlike some of the other moves, this choice sounded like it actually had to do with academics. Mizzou=good, WV-bad, and the SEC needed that sort of upgrade unlike all the other conferences.
WV competes in both football and basketball, its an upgrade IMHO. if it weren't for the KU/MU rivalry, it would be a no-brainer.
Needed an academic upgrade? Does the Big XII now require an academic upgrade since they will only have 2 AAU schools and will add a very poor academic university in WV?
WVU is more accomplished and has a richer football history than Mizzou. That being said, Mizzou has been on the upswing and WVU hasn't exactly dominated a weak conference the past 5 years. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Pants:
The program is most definitely an upgrade. I'm not sure about the TV sets, though.
That's correct. TV market share is not as good as Missouri, which is why I think the Big XII needs to look at going back to 12. That's the reason the SEC wants MU, they want to start a network like the B!G and they need the market share. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP:
Needed an academic upgrade? Does the Big XII now require an academic upgrade since they will only have 2 AAU schools and will add a very poor academic university in WV?
WVU is more accomplished and has a richer football history than Mizzou. That being said, Mizzou has been on the upswing and WVU hasn't exactly dominated a weak conference the past 5 years.
They have three, KU, ISU and UT. Mizzou's upswing (if you can call it that this year) is in serious jeapordy as they will try and transition to new recruiting grounds while losing influence in Texas. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Reerun_KC:
Damn dude, seriously? Why would he care about the Big 12 and its media rights.
I know what conference he is talking about, I know what angel he is using trying to talk about Texas and its LHN.
I don't understand how the Big XII would benefit from BYU's media deal. As a KU fan, you said you were excited about its media outlets. I don't see how KU stands to benefit.
I don't think they do, but you seem to see it differently. I'm cusious as to what I might be missing, as I don't know a lot about the situation. From where I sit, it's the LHN with magic underpants instead of a belt buckle. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP:
Needed an academic upgrade? Does the Big XII now require an academic upgrade since they will only have 2 AAU schools and will add a very poor academic university in WV?
Big 12 will have 3 AAU's after Mizzou leaves - Texas, KU, and Iowa St. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
I don't understand how the Big XII would benefit from BYU's media deal. As a KU fan, you said you were excited about its media outlets. I don't see how KU stands to benefit.
I don't think they do, but you seem to see it differently. I'm cusious as to what I might be missing, as I don't know a lot about the situation. From where I sit, it's the LHN with magic underpants instead of a belt buckle.
I'm not enamored with BYU either. I'd rather see them take Cincinnati and Louisville. They lose two major cities in KC, MO and St. Louis and are replacing it with Morgantown. Adding those two city schools gets a presence in major cities as well as new recruiting states. Utah is not a recruiting hotbed. [Reply]
