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.
I can't fault Mizzou for leaving at all (though a couple in here are being much more douchey than required) and wish that the Cats could do the same.
Not that it will ever happen, but I would love for OU to get their way tired of Texas and somehow KU and KSU tag along with OSU to complete the PAC 16 with pods set up like this:
Northwest: Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State
Californa: California, USC, UCLA, Stanford
Southwest: Arizona, Utah, Arizona State, Colorado
East: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State [Reply]
Originally Posted by dirk digler:
What is the deal with Notre Dame are they really coming to the B12?
Theory is that ND has to move all of their other sports to the Big 12.
The Big 12 would hold them to playing 4-5 football games with Big 12 opponents on a rotational basis.
Some say it would be a longshot for ND to agree to play in smaller stadiums but then again they are going to have to put all their other sports somewhere so who knows. [Reply]
Originally Posted by dirk digler:
What is the deal with Notre Dame are they really coming to the B12?
It stands to reason that Big East is a dead league. ND likely has 3 options for the non-revenue sports. ACC, Big 10 and Big 12. Neither the ACC or the Big 10 will allow partial membership. So, ND will either join a conference fully, or go to the Big 12. [Reply]
Originally Posted by kstater:
It stands to reason that Big East is a dead league. ND likely has 3 options for the non-revenue sports. ACC, Big 10 and Big 12. Neither the ACC or the Big 10 will allow partial membership. So, ND will either join a conference fully, or go to the Big 12.
Assuming the Big East does completely collapse. If the Big East remains viable in basketball and other sports, ND might not do anything. I don't see that happening necessarily, but anything is possible with the conferences at this point. [Reply]
Originally Posted by dirk digler:
Thanks guys. I don't know why they wouldn't just commit to the Big 10 but I guess they like their NBC contract more.
I think ND would jump to move the rest of their sports to the Big 10, but the Big 10 is stalwart, if ND joins, then it is all or nothing, they want the football too. Smart stance by the B1G, in my opinion. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mnchiefsguy:
KK seems to think that there is a real possibility that ND will move all of their sports sans football to the Big XII.
B12 gets the whole muffin except for the muffin top? Oh boy. [Reply]
