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.
The Big 12 screwed up in 2016 when they had the opportunity to go to 16 teams. They elected to stay at 10 for currently more money per team. Eventually they could have made more in a 16 teams conference with a new TV contract. They could not see far enough into the future. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch: Sure, sire. KC is a small media market that just so happens to have 3 pro sports teams in it.
As for splitting this market, you could say that about *any* college. There isn’t a market out there, maybe outside Austin TX, that isn’t split between schools. The issue is “dominance” and KU obv dominates the market. 105,000 alums within an hour of downtown is one metric.
Maybe you should ask: what does KU gain from that conference? I’m not seeing many benefits at all, athletically.
Big difference between a pro team where there is no other competition for a long distance (Outside of the Royals and Cardinals) and local college teams. Not saying KC is Pierre, SD, but it is one of the smallest pro sports markets. [Reply]
Originally Posted by hawkchief:
If KU is an afterthought, what does that make Mizzou? KU actually has won national championships in major sports and has a top 3-5 all-time blue blood major sports program that is relevant every year and historically. Mizzou has nothing remotely like that, in any sport, ever. Might want to rethink your foolish statement.
Originally Posted by ROYC75:
The Big 12 screwed up in 2016 when they had the opportunity to go to 16 teams. They elected to stay at 10 for currently more money per team. Eventually they could have made more in a 16 teams conference with a new TV contract. They could not see far enough into the future.
It wasn't lack of vision, it was Texas doing everything they could to run the conference. They opposed expansion because more teams meant they could get out-voted and lose the ability to do whatever they want. [Reply]
Originally Posted by ROYC75:
The Big 12 screwed up in 2016 when they had the opportunity to go to 16 teams. They elected to stay at 10 for currently more money per team. Eventually they could have made more in a 16 teams conference with a new TV contract. They could not see far enough into the future.
The problem is that Texas has known going back over 10 years when the B12 was being raided, that they would eventually jump ship. It was just a matter of timing, and figuring out which is the best conference to jump to.
OU likely would rather stay in the B12, but they know they need to stay hitched to Texas for security.
The only thing that could have avoided this was if somehow the top teams in either the Pac 12 or ACC would have jumped to the B12 back in 2016, but that was probably a pipe dream.
Clemson's emergence and ND quasi-joining solidified that conference. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hoover:
Its and entertaining listen but its clear these guys don't know shit and can't even comprehend what's going on. Its not about getting conferences to 16 teams. Its about money, which means brands and TV contracts, and control
Oh, I think they get that. I think that is why they are talking about getting conferences to those 16 teams. Because many of those teams will not have the ability to get enough draw without being in a larger group to put multiple fan bases together.
Kansas, Kansas St., Oklahoma St, Iowa St, and so on. They do not have enough of a following to generate a TV contract draw. They all need to be part of a larger conference so that the sum can be more than its parts. It is the only for them to be financially viable. [Reply]
Mizzou is NOT leaving the SEC if Texas and OKlahoma join. They’d be crazy too. It’s the biggest $$$$ league in college sports and is only getting bigger. Regardless of where they finish, that money allows them to do a LOT for their university going forward. Besides, as a Mizzou fan, I would welcome bringing back Oklahoma as a regular game. We already recruit against them anyway. Fuck Texas, but it is what it is. They’ll have to fall in line in the SEC. There are bigger dicks swinging around in the SEC than they ever had to deal with in the Big 12.
Like it or not, college football rules the colleges sports landscape. Mizzou has a better chance of being competitive (not top tier, mind you) in thr SEC than they ever would in the BIG10. Their recruiting would be crippled permanently if they left the SEC. Forget recruiting Texas. No more opportunity to dominate in-state recruiting (which they’re finally working towards doing under Drink) and make no mistake, the SEC brand is a big draw in that. Yeah, it gets a little harder if OK is in the SEC too, but nothing like competing with Ohio State, Michigan’s, Illinois, etc in the north. They have some in roads in Georgia and Florida too, which they completely lose if they leave the SEC.
So to summarize, there is absolutely ZERO reason for Mizzou to consider leaving the SEC and joining the BIG10. They have a seat at the Big Boys table and need to stay right where they are to continue to be secure in the university’s future. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Yeah, too bad it’s a high chair.
Who are you going to beat now?
Hey, if you’re EVER going to be good, it helps to go against the best. No matter how hard that may be.
There’s a reason Kansas won a ridiculous 14 straight Big 12 titles or whatever it was. Helps when you routinely get to beat up on the orphaned step children. But if that satisfies you all, more power to you.
I’d rather have a high chair at the big boys table than a throne at the kiddie pool.
Originally Posted by hawkchief:
If KU is an afterthought, what does that make Mizzou? KU actually has won national championships in major sports and has a top 3-5 all-time blue blood major sports program that is relevant every year and historically. Mizzou has nothing remotely like that, in any sport, ever. Might want to rethink your foolish statement.
I appreciate your passion, but Mizzou was proactive to the changing landscape 10 years ago. Your titles mean about as much as our lack of titles, as we are in the most lucrative and stable conference, that is dictating the future of college football. So, you may think my statement is foolish, but we aren’t the ones playing musical chairs right now. You are. [Reply]
Originally Posted by TomBarndtsTwin:
Hey, if you’re EVER going to be good, it helps to go against the best. No matter how hard that may be.
There’s a reason Kansas won a ridiculous 14 straight Big 12 titles or whatever it was. Helps when you routinely get to beat up on the orphaned step children. But if that satisfies you all, more power to you.
I’d rather have a high chair at the big boys table than a throne at the kiddie pool.
Originally Posted by Mizzou_8541:
I appreciate your passion, but Mizzou was proactive to the changing landscape 10 years ago. Your titles mean about as much as our lack of titles, as we are in the most lucrative and stable conference, that is dictating the future of college football. So, you may think my statement is foolish, but we aren’t the ones playing musical chairs right now. You are.
Congrats on winning the conference musical chairs game! That’s evidently a moral victory Mizzou fans can claim momentarily and maybe some day one of your sports programs will actually have a notable accomplishment. KU will be fine, and Allen Fieldhouse and KU hoops will remain a bucket list stop for most sports fans across the country. [Reply]
