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 Stewie:
There's no stability, anywhere. What happens the day the SEC writes Vanderbilt a letter, or the Big 10 to Northwestern?
"You're good schools, but you're not in our plans for the future of our athletic conference."
Just let me know when the last time a school was actually thrown out of a conference and I'll get back to you (oh, and Northwestern is a crown jewel of the B1G, but that requires knowledge and you clearly lack it, so don't worry about that)
The best way to stay in a conference? Make sure the conference remains in existence. The best way to get tossed out of a conference? Have it dissolve.
The shit you'll make up in support of a point is just comical. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Stewie:
There's no stability, anywhere. What happens the day the SEC writes Vanderbilt a letter, or the Big 10 to Northwestern?
"You're good schools, but you're not in our plans for the future of our athletic conference."
That will probably happen on the same day that the Big 10 and Pac 10 write Mizzou checks in the hope that one day the Tigers will join their conferences. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
aTm isn't going to recruit as well now? Holy shit! The Big IIX is the European League, and the SEC is the NBA, and you think players would rather play in Europe. Keep fucking that chicken, Stu.
Wrong. What Texas kid is going to want to play games hundreds of miles away? They can go to a Big XII school and play most games within a few hours drive from their home? aTm is already complaining about being shutout on recruits just because of it. Not that they've done anything in recent years. [Reply]
There is obviously a little hate towards Mizzou for doing exactly what we all wish our teams even had an opportunity to do.
BUT, I still believe Mizzou would have gotten into the 10 or the SEC if the Big 12 fell apart anyway. I think the well-deserved Texas hate just expedited the process.
And I still think KU ends up in the B1G and gets the last laugh if this whole thing implodes...
But the B1G has a problem with MU and MU got offered a 'better' conference, if not a better fit. It's a move we absolutely had to make. [Reply]
