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.
If ESPN really was sloppy enough to leave evidence that they're complicit in this then by all means bend them over and ram it in without lube. It'll be nice to see a corporation of that size actually get smacked the fuck around for once because of these bullshit antics. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Coach:
Look. As explained before, the Big 12 would not have rattled this chain unless they know there’s a pretty serious legal argument behind it. ESPN must be pretty complicit here and the Big 12 believe they have a smoking gun.
It’s a wild guess on my part but, if it’s not just slapping at the water trying to not drown their confidence to me indicates that the smoking gun could be coming from one or more of the schools that was approached bringing forth communications about the proposal[s]. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chief Pagan:
I can see why it would be a PR hit for ESPN, but why is it illegal. Schools can leave their conference, right? Hasn't it happened before?
Schools who left before weren’t locked into a GOR with four years left. In the Big12 you have to give 12 hour notice of talking to another conference, Texas and Oklahoma are rumored to have been doing it for 6-9 months. ESPN who has contracts with with Big12, trying to end the Big12 for their own gain isn’t exactly legal. [Reply]
"I have every expectation that Oklahoma and Texas will do whatever they can to not meet their [contractual] obligations. That's what they've done so far. ... One of the ways the two schools and ESPN will seek to absolve themselves of the obligation is to destabilize the league and cause an implosion of the other eight members.
"I am absolutely certain ESPN employees have discussed and provided incentives for at least one conference to raid 3-5 members from the Big 12. In doing so, they are prepared to reward them with future television proceeds. If the conference goes away as an entity, Oklahoma and Texas could be relieved from their exit obligations. Those obligations at this time would include the payment of $70M to $80M -- two years full revenue -- per school and leaving their media rights with the Big 12.
"We're just not going to sit still and let somebody who is supposed to be our partner collaborate and disrupt our business. I know with certainty they are doing it relative to one conference. I suspect they have done the same thing in moving Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC." [Reply]
Originally Posted by Superturtle:
If ESPN really was sloppy enough to leave evidence that they're complicit in this then by all means bend them over and ram it in without lube. It'll be nice to see a corporation of that size actually get smacked the fuck around for once because of these bullshit antics.
I don’t think Bowlsby phrases it as strongly as he did today without something to back it up. But it’s just window dressing for the settlement agreement [Reply]
Originally Posted by kstater:
I don’t think Bowlsby phrases it as strongly as he did today without something to back it up. But it’s just window dressing for the settlement agreement
Originally Posted by Coach:
This ain't the "biting the hand that feeds them" deal. This is about that same hand also abuses them, and guess what, they have the right to defend themselves.
You most certainly don't rob a conference 20 million a year and just expect to skate by. They're giving the mouse the "**** you" treatment. That mouse was in bed with OU, Texas and the SEC, and guess what? Everyone knows it.
Somehow, the Mouse dropped the ball by engaging in the conduct for the sole purpose of injuring the plaintiff. And apparently there's documented evidence of it.
To summarize, the Big 12 just bluntly said "why don't you **** around and find out" to the Mouse, and the Mouse ****ed around, and guess what?
He's finding out now.
We’ll see. Disney is one of the most powerful corporations in the world. They own roughly 40% of ALL cinema and staff the best attorneys on the planet. They got caught literally plagiarizing illustrations (like, dead to rights) for Lion King and never paid a red cent for it. They have singlehandedly kept Mickey from going into the public domain for decades because every time he’s due (will be due again in 2025) legislators pass a law extended ALL of corporations their rights to keep their content out of the public domain. Did Disney get caught with their pants down? Looks like it. Will they pay for it? If they do, it’ll be the first time. [Reply]
There’s no way in hell OU and Texas are staying until 2025…come on lol.
You’d think these other schools would start being more proactive about securing a place elsewhere (and I’m sure some are) instead of clinging on to the 2 schools that don’t want to be there…. [Reply]
ESPN and other media companies could be allies for the remaining Big 12 teams to help show their potential value addition in terms of media rights with the other power conferences.
That seems to be in the better long term interest for the remaining schools than joining Bowlsby’s pissing match with ESPN that ultimately is not going to save the Big 12. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Jerm:
There’s no way in hell OU and Texas are staying until 2025…come on lol.
You’d think these other schools would start being more proactive about securing a place elsewhere (and I’m sure some are) instead of clinging on to the 2 schools that don’t want to be there….
Even Bowlsby knows that. He's trying to ensure that UT and OU pay the exit fees, and possibly a hell of a lot more money from ESPN if he has legitimate proof of what he alleged. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Superturtle:
Even Bowlsby knows that. He's trying to ensure that UT and OU pay the exit fees, and possibly a hell of a lot more money from ESPN if he has legitimate proof of what he alleged.
You’d think so but it’s Bowlsby so who knows lol… [Reply]
Originally Posted by Spott:
Those 4 schools took a lot of shit ten years ago for leaving the Big 12, but they have to be laughing their asses off at all of this now.
Well, they haven’t had much to smile about in the 10 years since leaving. Maybe this can cheer them up. [Reply]