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.
Yes, USC and UCLA have more money, but you do have to wonder if the future non football and non basketball athletes might consider schools with easier travel. [Reply]
Originally Posted by notorious:
This really sucks for the teams left behind. You guys can give each other as much shit as shit as you want, but this is not a good thing.
Give 5-10 years as cable tv continues to collapse and a lot of people in this thread crowing right now are gonna find their teams on the outside looking in. [Reply]
Originally Posted by GloucesterChief:
Give 5-10 years as cable tv continues to collapse and a lot of people in this thread crowing right now are gonna find their teams on the outside looking in.
It's really tough to know what the future holds here. With streaming being revealed as a complete profit sink for virtually every company it's going to be interesting to see where the market goes next. The fact that the Pac 12 owner was trying to sell potential profits on the Apple deal if 5 MILLION people signed up (NFL Sunday Ticket has 2.4 million subscribers total) it quickly reveals how streaming has a profit problem for large corps compared to traditional models. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Al Bundy:
Now that my Alma mater UCF is in the Big 12 if another Big 12 team wins the National Championship I won't be celebrating it.
San Diego State has that massive exit fee from the Mountain West and Oregon State adds minimal value.
Hearing Oregon State and San Diego State have had very preliminary talks with the Big 12 over the last 48 hours. Key word is preliminary and it would be at discounted rates.
Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88:
San Diego State has that massive exit fee from the Mountain West and Oregon State adds minimal value.
Hearing Oregon State and San Diego State have had very preliminary talks with the Big 12 over the last 48 hours. Key word is preliminary and it would be at discounted rates.
Originally Posted by GloucesterChief:
Give 5-10 years as cable tv continues to collapse and a lot of people in this thread crowing right now are gonna find their teams on the outside looking in.
The only crowing I'm doing is saying I'm glad that it's the PAC12 falling apart not the Big12.
No, I'm not thrilled.
I'd rather go back to the original Big12, but that ain't happening. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chief Pagan:
The only crowing I'm doing is saying I'm glad that it's the PAC12 falling apart not the Big12.
No, I'm not thrilled.
I'd rather go back to the original Big12, but that ain't happening.
Here's another reason why climate change is bullshit.
Academia, the loudest voices about climate change, have sanctioned these idiotic super conferences where Olympic sports and women's soccer are going to travel four to five time zones in a jet airplane all for the almighty dollar.
What's their carbon footprint going to be?
Universities have no room to stand upon critiquing the actions of an oil company. They're no different. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Ocotillo:
Here's another reason why climate change is bullshit.
Academia, the loudest voices about climate change, have sanctioned these idiotic super conferences where Olympic sports and women's soccer are going to travel four to five time zones in a jet airplane all for the almighty dollar.
What's their carbon footprint going to be?
Universities have no room to stand upon critiquing the actions of an oil company. They're no different.
Using overall record winning % of teams in the 2022-23 season -- this is what a potential Big 12 Tournament week could look like in Kansas City come 2024. This is the men's records -- it would be 2 consecutive weeks with the Women's Tournament. pic.twitter.com/LCKNbAJ3Eh