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.
But the fact is that TCU and WVU are superior football programs to the two schools leaving.
oh well, they'll figure it out
According to prevailing logic, this is horrible for the existing teams. The conference is getting harder to play in. How will KU and KSU survive having to play Texas, Oklahoma, ISU, TCU, and WV? The path to victory is to keep yourself in an AQ conference that is as easy as possible, right?
The "figuring out" will be when UT and OU leave, as they have been persistently trying to do for years... [Reply]
Originally Posted by Saulbadguy:
No one, but that's not the point. Mizzou has played for the Big XII title twice. Neither was competitive. Hell, in 2007, arguably Mizzou's best year in the last 40 years, OU went on to lose to West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. Badly.
Yeah, Mizzou would have been more competitive in the Big East - but not by leaps and bounds. They weren't that competitive in the Big XII.
Not by leaps and bounds? Mizzou would have won the Big East multiple times. Hell, Ron Prince would have won the Big East. It has been an absolute joke of a league.
Justifying whether a league is good or not based one OU bowl game is a leap even you can't justifiably take. [Reply]
Originally Posted by evenfall:
According to prevailing logic, this is horrible for the existing teams. The conference is getting harder to play in. How will KU and KSU survive having to play Texas, Oklahoma, ISU, TCU, and WV? The path to victory is to keep yourself in an AQ conference that is as easy as possible, right?
The "figuring out" will be when UT and OU leave, as they have been persistently trying to do for years...
KU fans don't care. Basketball school.
K-State, I think we'll manage to live on borrowed time until Snyders "Contract from Below" runs out. [Reply]
Well in a way I am happy the Big East will fold as a conference in regards to football. Having them as an AQ was a joke for the past few years. [Reply]
Originally Posted by UCF Knight:
So what happens if MU decides to stick around now?
It's a conditional offer.
If MU doesn't go, the IIX stays at 10 teams and continues to suck.
If we leave, you guys get WVU and expand to 12 teams (which was where I wanted to be in the first place, but whatever).
See? Win/win.
But really, KSU fans and KU fans will still want to say the MU folks are butthurt or some shit like that. I'm not sure why - we got exactly what we were after. Near as I can tell, the MU fans are elated.
As to the rest of the IIX; y'all can have it. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
It's a conditional offer.
If MU doesn't go, the IIX stays at 10 teams and continues to suck.
If we leave, you guys get WVU and expand to 12 teams (which was where I wanted to be in the first place, but whatever).
See? Win/win.
But really, KSU fans and KU fans will still want to say the MU folks are butthurt or some shit like that. I'm not sure why - we got exactly what we were after. Near as I can tell, the MU fans are elated.
As to the rest of the IIX; y'all can have it.
Some sources as saying it is not a conditional offer, that WVU will join whether Mizzou stays or goes. Could make things interesting. [Reply]
I'm loving these moves. If we can get BYU and Louisville then the conference is signifcantly better in football and basketball. There should be some great new rivalries and interesting matchups coming our way. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mr. Plow:
I asked the same question earlier today - someone responded with the answer that when ND is forced into a conference, the one that has their other sports will have a leg up on everyone else.
Originally Posted by eazyb81:
Not by leaps and bounds? Mizzou would have won the Big East multiple times. Hell, Ron Prince would have won the Big East. It has been an absolute joke of a league.
Justifying whether a league is good or not based one OU bowl game is a leap even you can't justifiably take.
Ron Prince got his shit pushed in multiple times by Big East teams.
Meh - I think Mizzou would have won the title once or twice in the Big East. That would be much better than what they've done in the Big XII. [Reply]
Originally Posted by kchero:
Well in a way I am happy the Big East will fold as a conference in regards to football. Having them as an AQ was a joke for the past few years.
Yea having success in it doesn't mean a whole lot. [Reply]
