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 eazyb81:
Chuck Carlton tweet:
Hearing from Big 12 school sources that Missouri, Big 12 are negotiating legal issues, including departure date (2012 or '13) and exit fees.
The only reason they stay until 2013 would be if the exit penalties were too high. But, like with Nebraska & Colorado, I'm sure they will negotiate the fees down into the $6-$10 million range. [Reply]
Originally Posted by :
West Virginia to leave Big East for Big 12
By LENN ROBBINS
Last Updated: 8:51 AM, October 25, 2011
Posted: 2:39 AM, October 25, 2011
The Big East Football Conference's survival as a league with BCS automatic-qualifier status is about to take a serious hit because the Big 12 has lined up West Virginia to replace Missouri, The Post has learned.
The Big 12 held a board of directors meeting yesterday, and a source said the league's plan is to hold on to Missouri, which wants to leave for the SEC, for one more year then replace it with West Virginia.
That would mean the Big East is losing a fourth FBS-playing member, leaving the league with five schools that play FBS football: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Rutgers and South Florida.
The Big 12's thinking, which could become more aggressive, forces the Big East to look at "Plan C" as it heads into its annual meeting of presidents and board of directors next Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Initially the league was hoping it could survive by inviting Air Force, Boise State, Central Florida, Houston, Navy and SMU. But if the league also must replace West Virginia along with Pittsburgh, Syracuse and TCU, the Big East must look at Temple and perhaps Army.
"Of all the schools the league has lost, from a football standpoint losing West Virginia would be the most damaging," a source told The Post. "Despite what anyone says, that's the program the league has hung its hat on."
A source said the Big 12, by holding Missouri, might hold at 10 teams for next season and then consider a jump to 16 teams. Louisville and Cincinnati are under consideration as well as Boise State and BYU.
The Big 12 released a statement last night which said, "a strong desire for the University of Missouri to maintain its Big 12 affiliation was expressed." You can bet a lot of lawyers representing conferences, schools and TV networks are billing by the hour.
Mark Nordenberg, the president of Pitt who stabbed Big East commissioner John Marinatto in the back by taking his school to the ACC, may have served one useful purpose: He helped craft the legislation that requires a 27-month stay for teams leaving the Big East for another conference.
It is that legislation, and the firm stance Marinatto has taken since Pitt and Syracuse announced their move to the ACC, which could prevent West Virginia from leaving next season. Marinatto has been adamant about not allowing any outgoing member to negotiate that exit window.
Of course, the Big East faces a bigger problem. If Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia are all headed elsewhere, whether it be in one or two years, Big East Football Conference would probably collapse, leaving the exit penalties moot.
The league is one of six that has AQ status, meaning the league champ gets an automatic berth in the lucrative BCS pool. Without AQ status, the Big East loses all leverage.
The Big 12 should just tell Mizzou to GTFO and give them a break on exit fees. The last thing they want is for Mizzou to hang around reminding everyone that they are leaving.
Besides, it's not like they are losing a "10". It's more like losing a 5-6 that looked like a 7 while the conference was down. [Reply]
Originally Posted by eazyb81:
It is so cute that the Big 12 thinks Mizzou will stay for one more year to help smooth the transition.
lol. It has nothing to do with the Big 12 trying to hold onto to MU to make it a smooth transition, it has to do with MU trying to get out of as much of the exit fees as possible. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mr. Plow:
lol. It has nothing to do with the Big 12 trying to hold onto to MU to make it a smooth transition, it has to do with MU trying to get out of as much of the exit fees as possible.
It has to do with not having a team lined up to replace Mizzou in 2011 and exit fee negotiation. [Reply]
