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 Raiderhader:
LOL @ Mizzou fans pretending that the Border War means more to KU than it does to them.
It doesn't mean more to your average KU fan than it does to me personally. I live in Kansas, 40 minutes from Lawrence. I deal with beakers on a daily basis. The same isn't true of people in St. Louis. It's still a big rivalry, but it doesn't feel the same when you're 5 hours away from the other state. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Raiderhader:
I live in Texas and I can tell you they don't. If the team is doing well people will watch and get semi-excited about it. After a loss they just say, "eh, it's basketball, who cares."
LOL @ Mizzou fans pretending that the Border War means more to KU than it does to them.
That's why we're about to leave the conference and kU in the dust. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Coach:
Missouri gotta do what Missouri gotta do. The question begs though, is, are they really going to be that competitve in the SEC than they are in the Big XII?
I'm not so sure that Missouri football is going to be able to handle teams like Alabama, LSU, and Auburn to name a few (assuming they go, and possibly get placed in the SEC West)
But just trying to talk "sports" instead of this ole' bullshit of who's fault is who, etc.
Mizzou fans think they will be competitive.
Everyone else seems to think they will be less competitive.
So, I don't believe this up for rational discussion. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mnchiefsguy:
You have to be the biggest idiot on the board. It was Miami of Ohio, and even with that, the stadium is far from empty.
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
You're the one insinuating that a picture of a 71,000 seat stadium that is only 80% filled proves that Mizzou has a tough time filling the stadium.
I just showed you a picture of a 16,000 seat stadium that is only 20% full. I guess Kansas has a tough time filling AFH.
Originally Posted by Saulbadguy:
Mizzou fans think they will be competitive.
Everyone else seems to think they will be less competitive.
So, I don't believe this up for rational discussion.
I believe that most MU fans expect to be Arkansas-like. Basically, a solid program and one that is consistently in the top 25. That's where Mizzou should be, regardless of conference affiliation. [Reply]
Here's a quote from Jordan Webb, QB for the University of Kansas discussing the fan support at the Tech game.
"It's tough on us because we're beating a Big 12 opponent at halftime then we come out of the locker room and see everybody walk out, it's kind of like well thanks for the support. It's something we can't focus on," Webb said. "We have to try and play our game no matter what. It definitely hurts when you're playing well and there isn't much support." [Reply]