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 KCChiefsFan88:
Looks like it’s happening…
Colorado leaving Pac-12 to return to Big 12 in 2024, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. CU will receive full Big 12 share ($31.7M) from ESPN/Fox media deal. Buffs left because of Big 12 stability & Pac-12’s uncertainty, sources said. Announcement Thursdayhttps://t.co/IOo8LWAuTFpic.twitter.com/4Ilq91C0EO
Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88:
Looks like it’s happening…
Colorado leaving Pac-12 to return to Big 12 in 2024, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. CU will receive full Big 12 share ($31.7M) from ESPN/Fox media deal. Buffs left because of Big 12 stability & Pac-12’s uncertainty, sources said. Announcement Thursdayhttps://t.co/IOo8LWAuTFpic.twitter.com/4Ilq91C0EO
Originally Posted by Coach:
I'm only speculating as this front has been very quiet for a while but consider this. If UO/UW did get B1G invite at the time, they would have done it already and we would know about it, wouldn't you think?
I'm not sure they simply got an invite because I don’t see how they can increase the per school number or even keep it where it is when it comes to the B1G pie? I don't know.
My guess would probably look a little better (though still presumably wrong) if I had said holding out for instead of opting for. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Coach:
Perhaps. There's also a possibility of another one or two.
Colorado is likely to move within the next 48 hours.
Also, there's another school in the Pac-12 beyond the rumored four corners that will surprise people and is seriously contemplating a jump to the Big 12.
Originally Posted by Raiderhater:
Let’s not go revising history here; Mizzou lifting their skirt to the Big Ten in an attempt to woo them is what started the instability.
Colorado and Nebraska both left the B12 before Mizzou and A&M did.
Texas was also the cause of the instability due to the LHN. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rams Fan:
Colorado and Nebraska both left the B12 before Mizzou and A&M did.
Let the tally books show that Mizzou prostituted themselves to the Big Ten, got turned down and then got hilariously left out of the first round of re-alignment. Colorado and Nebraska left after Mizzou’s scandalous overtures.
Originally Posted by :
Texas was also the cause of the instability due to the LHN.
As cited by the schools that couldn’t beat Texas. At the time my Cats owned them not only in football, and basketball, but pretty much all aspects of life. Even though that own age has come to an end, I still don’t give two shits about the LHN. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Raiderhater:
Let the tally books show that Mizzou prostituted themselves to the Big Ten, got turned down and then got hilariously left out of the first round of re-alignment. Colorado and Nebraska left after Mizzou’s scandalous overtures.
Mizzou's flirtation began when the B1G announced it was expanding in December 2009. Nebraska was approved to join the B1G in June 2010, as well as Colorado with the P12.
Originally Posted by :
As cited by the schools that couldn’t beat Texas. At the time my Cats owned them not only in football, and basketball, but pretty much all aspects of life. Even though that own age has come to an end, I still don’t give two shits about the LHN.
Ah, so Oklahoma, Texas' biggest rival and arguably the most successful B12/B8 football team, didn't have a problem with the LHN? That is simply false.
Originally Posted by :
OU's problem with The Longhorn Network is the recruiting portion. ESPN's desire was to show high school games, and when that was rebuffed by the Big 12 and NCAA, ESPN's comeback attempt is to show high school highlights.
Originally Posted by :
But Stoops said he does have a problem “if they allow someone to recruit differently, just because they have more money.”
Oklahoma had such a problem with it that they were the only other school in the B12, until 2022, to have their Tier 3 media rights be separate from the rest of the conference outside of Texas. [Reply]