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 kcclone:
Their athletic budget was $149m in 2020 compared with $89m for KU. Just to give you an idea of what having a relevant football program will do for you.
My point is that football is about 80% of the discussion because that's what moves the needle the most on revenue.
I'm not pissing on Iowa's program which seems totally fine.
I just don't understand their fans having some kind of issue with KU when we have like zero history together.
Originally Posted by Rams Fan:
KU doesn’t really bring in a new media market, though, aside from KC.
I guess a good question is to ask yourself how much TV market matters in the streaming days of 2021 [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigRedChief:
Big 10 would be better for KU but the ACC is a reputable conference. They will be fine. Texas Tech will be fine. The rest…….. :-)
I was thinking of the Big East where football is secondary. The ACC actually has some good football teams. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Kiimosabi:
I guess a good question is to ask yourself how much TV market matters in the streaming days of 2021
More than you think. Streaming is working it's way to being too expensive for most people.
Originally Posted by BigRedChief:
Big 10 would be better for KU but the ACC is a reputable conference. They will be fine. Texas Tech will be fine. The rest…….. :-)
Replace Texas Tech with West Virginia. The ACC will accept them by default. [Reply]
It's really weird how all of this talk is exactly the same as last time. I guess the difference is that this time KU has no choice. The Big 12 is over.
Last time the Big 10 and PAC whatever were interested. KU to the B1G makes sense regionally. Sure football has to improve but they knew that already.
Also this doesn't hurt:
Kansas AD Travis Goff was just at a Big 10 institution. That would certainly help the communication with the conference and an eventual transition. https://t.co/BOy3c7OVL9
But I don't think many realize this isn't about picking up and dealing with the scraps from the Big 12. This is about creating powerful money making conferences and the SEC just made a huge move.
The Big Ten has to counter what the SEC is doing. Adding Kansas doesn't move the needle. If you are the Big Ten you have to worry about your elite teams bolting if they are in a substandard conference. So to keep the Ohio States and Penn States happy you need to be aggressive and bring in some powerful football schools.
Notre Dame is at the top off the list. The Big Ten needs it, and frankly Notre Dame has to think its options long term is SEC or Big Ten. This is critical.
The Big Ten still needs a considerable football program. I think you have to look at Florida State, and Clemson. THEN once you add two schools to counter what the SEC added in Oklahoma and Texas, you can go out and add four more schools to bring you to 20.
If I'm the Big Ten, my wish list would be: Notre Dame, Clemson, Florida State, Virginia or Virginia Tech, Kansas, and Colorado.
Hell, I'd also call up Texas A&M and see if they would like to join the Big Ten, odd to leave the SEC the but if they don't want to be with Texas it makes sense. SEC isn't going to stop after Oklahoma and Texas anyway, they will get to 20 too.
In the end I think we have three 20 team super conferences, SEC, BIG, and PAC [Reply]
