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 Saul Good:
A third of the population in the metro area are Mizzou fans. I'm pretty sure they're going to get a mention here and there when fucking Alabama comes to town.
Nick Wright has said that he can't wait to cover the SEC. I mean seriously, would you rather cover the Jayhawks traveling to Lubbock to play the Red Raiders or the Tigers visiting Death Valley? The Louisville Cardinals coming to Manhattan to square off against KSU or the Gators invading Faurot?
This is going to be badass.
Wright is ready to capitalize on his rival KK making a fool of himself through this whole process, to the point where KK was intimating that they wouldn't spend much time covering Missouri. Wright is ready to accept the huddled masses of Mizzou fans yearning to breathe free of KK's butthurt.
If he thinks there won't be any local interest in Missouri, he is sadly mistaken. This will increase local awareness of Missouri, in football season especially. [Reply]
Originally Posted by |Zach|:
It is more like a group of people just wanting to emote and not knowing why.
We hate you we hate you...
we hate you because you dont matter!
we hate because you messed up this great thing we had!
we hate you because we cant make up our minds about how we hate you!
Do you think it's possible that a group of people doesn't share a hivemind? I don't know, maybe different people feel differently about this? Naw, they just can't make their minds up...
One thing that will be interesting to see... how much will the KC market be considered a "Big 12-2-1-1" market for college football once Missouri is gone?
For basketball, KU obviously has the coverage in the market. For football, it's obvious they don't (unless they're having a miraculous season).
Missouri is the big draw among the local schools for college football.
I don't know that KU/KSU get enough TV sets during college football season that the Big 12 will get credit for that TV market when it comes time to renegotiate the football TV deals. T-shirt KU fans don't care about football, and Nebraska has as big a college football fan presence in KC as KSU. With 2/3 of the metro's population outside the league's footprint, the Big 12 might be negotiating a football deal without big markets outside Texas.
That was what ultimately destroyed the SWC (no major TV markets outside Texas)... [Reply]
Duncan, I think that could be an important issue. Previously, let's say half of the Kansas City metro and most all of St. Louis were Big 12 markets. Losing basically 1.5 major cities is not going to help the revenue situation, to say nothing of replacing Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, and Missouri with TCU, Louisville, and whomever else.
The profile of the conference has both lessened and become even more Texas-centric than it was before Nebraska's departure. The revenue disparity is going to become wide as the SEC will be set for a big raise when the next TV deal happens, but the Big 12 can hardly expect that.
The Big 12 is a sinking ship, I think. I hope for the sake of the fans of bystanders schools that some kind of conference merge or basketball conference can be made, it would be awful for ISU fans or KSU fans or any others to be the victims here, for no sin other than being a second school in a small state. Seems kind of sad, though I agree with everyone doing what is best for their institution. [Reply]
Big East is reportedly inviting Houston. If my numbers are right, there are now 79 teams expected to join the Big East by 2013.
Yet they will still only have 5 football teams, and none of them will be ranked. The Mountain Conference West USA thinks the Big East is a cluster****. [Reply]
Originally Posted by evenfall:
Wright is ready to capitalize on his rival KK making a fool of himself through this whole process, to the point where KK was intimating that they wouldn't spend much time covering Missouri. Wright is ready to accept the huddled masses of Mizzou fans yearning to breathe free of KK's butthurt.
If he thinks there won't be any local interest in Missouri, he is sadly mistaken. This will increase local awareness of Missouri, in football season especially.
One more reason not to listen to that nut job Wright. [Reply]
Originally Posted by track:
One more reason not to listen to that nut job Wright.
Amen. Why would I care about the Florida\Georgia, LSU\Auburn, and Alabama\Tennessee games when I could hear about BYU/Baylor, Iowa State\Louisville, and Texas Tech\Kansas? [Reply]
Now this can't be right. I have been assured by Stewie and a few other CP Mensa members that the Big 12's TV deal will be massive with or without Mizzou. Texas will get a blank check from the networks and divide it equally among its brothers in arms. WTF?
Missouri holds the key to membership in three conferences: Big 12, SEC and Big East.
Will the Tigers be one of 10 or 12 in the Big 12 or the 14th in the SEC? If it’s the latter, how does this impact Louisville and West Virginia in the Big East?
After talking to several sources in the Big 12, the general feeling is this: If Missouri stays in the Big 12, the league is more likely to stay at 10, with TCU replacing Texas A&M as the lone move.
But if Mizzou goes to the SEC, the Big 12 could look more favorably at a 12-team arrangement.
The idea is without Missouri the Big 12 would need more than one replacement to bring value to its football contracts.
Louisville is the most suggested addition to the Big 12, but West Virginia, and its stronger football brand, is the favorite of some in the Big 12, if it’s a one-team add.
Cincinnati can’t be ruled out if multiple Big East teams are the answer for the Big 12.
Brigham Young is not out of the Big 12 expansion picture, an official said. BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said on Saturday that there have been discussions between the Big 12 and BYU but no invitation.
Holmoe smartly reminded reporters how quickly the TCU action transpired, in a matter of days from the initial call from Big 12 interim athletic director Chuck Neinas to the press conference introducing the Horned Frogs to the conference.
As for potential Big East candidates, that league has voted to raise its exit fee from $5 to $10 million. Big East bylaws also require a 27-month notice, which wouldn’t make any member available to a new conference until the middle of the 2013-14 season.
Later today, Big East Commissioner John Marinatto will hold a news conference to discuss his league's future.
Originally Posted by Saul Good:
Amen. Why would I care about the Florida\Georgia, LSU\Auburn, and Alabama\Tennessee games when I could hear about BYU/Baylor, Iowa State\Louisville, and Texas Tech\Kansas?
It's not like the local media ever spent a huge amount of time covering Texas/Texas A&M or other games far afield while still being in the conference. I am sure the coverage of the SEC would all be from an MU perspective. Keitzman just acted a fool through the whole process, swearing there was no interest in Missouri, that the big 12 is more stable, that it would be foolish, that the money really isn't better, and also, scaring fans that their school won't get media coverage. He was trying to wield whatever influence he had on the process, no doubt about that. Turns out is didn't have much, even after trying everything.
He almost seems to have been going through the Kubler/Ross grief stages over the demise of the B12.
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance
I wonder what will be heard today. Anger? Sour grapes? This is an upgrade? Acceptance...? [Reply]
when it's all said and done, KK will ignore the fact that he's been completely wrong at every turn and somehow spin it into 'see, this is exactly what I said would happen" [Reply]
