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 J-Town Fan 1988:
It might take threats against small children and or blackmail but it's better than status quo. I don't know what the MU brass has been doing behind the scenes of course, but I don't have a lot of faith they're doing much besides maintaining the status quo when other schools in the Big XII have clearly been proactive in seeking greener pastures.
Yes I know in the short run Mizzou in the SEC would be sodomy for a while but at least they'd be in the best football conference in the country. What has the Big XII done for Mizzou? Oh yeah, get royally ****ed on a BCS bowl in 2007.
It sounds like they have been doing a lot. Either we are members of a stable Big XII, or we have a very nice fall-back plan. [Reply]
Chuck Neinas to bring back the glory days of years gone by?
Chuck Neinas has applied to the Big 12 and is expected to be formally approved as the league's interim commissioner possibly as soon as Thursday, CBSSports.com has learned.
During an interview early Thursday, Neinas said he had been contacted by Big 12 representatives who inquired about his interest in replacing Dan Beebe. "I responded in the affirmative," said Neinas who then submitted his resume.
Neinas also told CBSSports.com that his employment is an agenda item during the Big 12 presidents' conference call on Thursday. CBSSports.com reported Wednesday night that Beebe was expected to leave the league and be replaced on an interim basis by Neinas.
His hiring would seem to be formality considering Neinas has conducted employment searches for seven of the current nine members of the Big 12. The former Big Eight commissioner runs Neinas Sports Services, a consulting firm, out of his home in Boulder, Colo. Until Texas A&M, Nebraska and Colorado left the league, Neinas had done work for 10 of the original 12 conference members.
"I've been around the game a while," said Neinas who was assistant executive director of the NCAA from 1961-71. He later was commissioner of the Big Eight from 1971-80.
"I told my wife, I guess it's like Yogi said, 'It's not over until it's over,' " Neinas said.
Neinas should be a unifying force in a fractured league. Texas AD DeLoss Dodds once worked for Neinas as an assistant in the Big Eight. Neinas said he helped current Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt get his first job.
Neinas expects the position to last six months to a year. [Reply]
Originally Posted by vailpass:
Chuck Neinas to bring back the glory days of years gone by?
Chuck Neinas has applied to the Big 12 and is expected to be formally approved as the league's interim commissioner possibly as soon as Thursday, CBSSports.com has learned.
During an interview early Thursday, Neinas said he had been contacted by Big 12 representatives who inquired about his interest in replacing Dan Beebe. "I responded in the affirmative," said Neinas who then submitted his resume.
Neinas also told CBSSports.com that his employment is an agenda item during the Big 12 presidents' conference call on Thursday. CBSSports.com reported Wednesday night that Beebe was expected to leave the league and be replaced on an interim basis by Neinas.
His hiring would seem to be formality considering Neinas has conducted employment searches for seven of the current nine members of the Big 12. The former Big Eight commissioner runs Neinas Sports Services, a consulting firm, out of his home in Boulder, Colo. Until Texas A&M, Nebraska and Colorado left the league, Neinas had done work for 10 of the original 12 conference members.
"I've been around the game a while," said Neinas who was assistant executive director of the NCAA from 1961-71. He later was commissioner of the Big Eight from 1971-80.
"I told my wife, I guess it's like Yogi said, 'It's not over until it's over,' " Neinas said.
Neinas should be a unifying force in a fractured league. Texas AD DeLoss Dodds once worked for Neinas as an assistant in the Big Eight. Neinas said he helped current Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt get his first job.
Neinas expects the position to last six months to a year.
Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla:
Missouri DID have an offer; it's not clear if it was contingent on the Big XII collapsing. Tonight could make things interesting.
Originally Posted by penguinz:
Actually you are completely wrong. It was more on the line of he was surprised no one called. He thought that BB would have more influence. That it just shows how important football is.
Yep. That's why those football juggernauts Syracuse and Pitt were gobbled up by the ACC.
It's tiring really. You need a new tune. BBall is the meal ticket for many schools and conferences.
Just because some schools suck at both doesn't mean you should discount those that are good at bball. [Reply]
I know it is too much to ask for, but could the announcement be something along the line:
"We decided to grow a pair and officially leave the U R (my) B**** 12."
"I am stepping down from my present position as the man trying to save this crumbling puppet empire to let someone else lose sleep and integrity as Texas and Oklahoma play like they really care about the smaller schools."
"We fully intend to see a invitation to any conference that would have us and save us from having to spend the next couple of years agonizing trying to figure out how to pry more money out of an already "fixed" system." [Reply]