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.
A little off topic, but thought it was interesting so thought I'd post it.
1. Big XII has 8 teams in top 26
2. 4 teams in top 10
3. 5 teams in top 15
4. Iowa #58 , ISU #62
5. Iowa’s top ranked win (Pitt) #67
6. Other Iowa wins and where ranked…..NW 110, LM 122, IN 142, TN Tech 171
7. ISU losses: Texas #24 Baylor #21 Missouri #26 Texas A&M #6
8. strength of schedule rank: ISU #7 Iowa #118
9. Other teams with hard schedules - Auburn 5-2 #1 Kansas 2-5 #2 A&M 5-2 #3 Tenn. 3-4 #4 Mizz. 3-4 #5 AZ. 2-5 #6 ISU 3-4 #7 MD 2-5 #8 [Reply]
A little off topic, but thought it was interesting so thought I'd post it.
1. Big XII has 8 teams in top 26
2. 4 teams in top 10
3. 5 teams in top 15
4. Iowa #58 , ISU #62
5. Iowa’s top ranked win (Pitt) #67
6. Other Iowa wins and where ranked…..NW 110, LM 122, IN 142, TN Tech 171
7. ISU losses: Texas #24 Baylor #21 Missouri #26 Texas A&M #6
8. strength of schedule rank: ISU #7 Iowa #118
9. Other teams with hard schedules - Auburn 5-2 #1 Kansas 2-5 #2 A&M 5-2 #3 Tenn. 3-4 #4 Mizz. 3-4 #5 AZ. 2-5 #6 ISU 3-4 #7 MD 2-5 #8 [Reply]
Am I the only fan that doesn't give a shit about BCS bowls? It's an arbitrary designation. The only reason that a BCS bowl game is important is because say it is, because we let the BCS exist. If you're not in the national championship then all I care about is win-loss record. Bowl games are so stupid and meaningless. [Reply]
slmandel Stewart Mandel
by ChrisMWilliams
Survey: Did Big 12 upgrade going from Mizzou to WVU? WVU 2 BCS appearances and a Final Four since '05. Mizzou: zero and zero. [Reply]
Originally Posted by RustShack:
A little off topic, but thought it was interesting so thought I'd post it.
1. Big XII has 8 teams in top 26
2. 4 teams in top 10
3. 5 teams in top 15
4. Iowa #58 , ISU #62
5. Iowa’s top ranked win (Pitt) #67
6. Other Iowa wins and where ranked…..NW 110, LM 122, IN 142, TN Tech 171
7. ISU losses: Texas #24 Baylor #21 Missouri #26 Texas A&M #6
8. strength of schedule rank: ISU #7 Iowa #118
9. Other teams with hard schedules - Auburn 5-2 #1 Kansas 2-5 #2 A&M 5-2 #3 Tenn. 3-4 #4 Mizz. 3-4 #5 AZ. 2-5 #6 ISU 3-4 #7 MD 2-5 #8
The only thing interesting about any of that? I don't think a lot of it is true. What poll is this? The Big 12 doesn't have 8 teams in the Top 25 of either major poll or the BCS, nor does it have your next 2 stats. [Reply]
Originally Posted by RustShack:
slmandel Stewart Mandel
by ChrisMWilliams
Survey: Did Big 12 upgrade going from Mizzou to WVU? WVU 2 BCS appearances and a Final Four since '05. Mizzou: zero and zero.
One of the most hilarious things to me is the BCS conference fans who not 12 months ago sat around arguing how TCU wasn't deserving of anything... have now done a 180 and are arguing how they're such a great addition to these conferences and holding their BCS appearances in great esteem. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.:
The only thing interesting about any of that? I don't think a lot of it is true. What poll is this? The Big 12 doesn't have 8 teams in the Top 25 of either major poll or the BCS, nor does it have your next 2 stats.
I really don't know what poll that came from. [Reply]
Originally Posted by tk13:
One of the most hilarious things to me is the BCS conference fans who not 12 months ago sat around arguing how TCU wasn't deserving of anything... have now done a 180 and are arguing how they're such a great addition to these conferences and holding their BCS appearances in great esteem.
To be fair I don't think it was the "team" that people didn't want. It was the state of Texas they didn't want another school from and the small following because they think $$$ is the one and only thing that matters. But I could be wrong. [Reply]
Originally Posted by RustShack:
slmandel Stewart Mandel
by ChrisMWilliams
Survey: Did Big 12 upgrade going from Mizzou to WVU? WVU 2 BCS appearances and a Final Four since '05. Mizzou: zero and zero.
Lol. Bye Bye Mizzou! Enjoy getting your ass kicked in SEC. Hope the payday was worth it because your now on same level as Vanderbilt without the scholastic accolades. [Reply]