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 Rams Fan:
No. I don't feel like getting into an argument.
However, there are some major douches in this thread.
You couldn't argue your way out of a soggy paper bag. And I agree, a lot of douches in here. Of course you're one of them with your super hilarious and clever sarcasm sprinkled all over the thread. Keep on keeping on, brother. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Laz:
true, the number of t.v. isn't as great as the geographical area but if you add a quality conference schedule then the number of t.v. could grow exponentially.
Same goes for Notre Dame, the golden domers don't think they need anyone and maybe they don't. But you add a quality conference identity to their brand name and it could explode.
Why would you saddle yourself with a conference when you have a national TV contract on a major network that allows you prime scheduling every week? [Reply]
Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.:
wait a minute, am I to understand that MU's 100th homecoming, a historic game, a marquee television matchup....hasn't even sold out?
There's mostly just single-seat tickets available at this point, and those are always a bitch to sell (though they'll almost always go in walkup sales to folks that show up to tailgate, buy their single-seat then the just squeeze in with their friends on the bench).
There are probably 8-10 sections where you can still get 4-6 seats in a block, but those will be gone shortly as well. Besides, once again, our stadium at about 2/3 full is right at the capacity of good ol' Snyder Stadium.
Don't you worry your pretty little head about our attendance, m'kay? Mizzou does just fine. [Reply]
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins:
Why would you saddle yourself with a conference when you have a national TV contract on a major network that allows you prime scheduling every week?
If it goes 'superconference', for scheduling.
It will be tough for ND to keep getting games scheduled when suddenly everyone is down to 3 Non-Con games. [Reply]
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins:
Why would you saddle yourself with a conference when you have a national TV contract on a major network that allows you prime scheduling every week?
I think they only get 15M and they have to use a chunk of that to pay other teams. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Wickedson:
The only positive thing out of MU staying at this point is use of the Sprint Center.
It's a wonderful feeling to cruise across into MO and leave with a trophy.
From that angle yes, I want Missouri to stay.
Sort of like the feeling anybody from Kansas gets any time they want to watch a professional sporting event? Well, other than *snicker* soccer. [Reply]
Originally Posted by frazod:
Sort of like the feeling anybody from Kansas gets any time they want to watch a professional sporting event? Well, other than *snicker* soccer.
Soccer and Golf.... professional sports played in Kansas. [Reply]
