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 Wickedson:
I admit I don't know but just how big is MU sports in St. Louis?
Is KK right in saying that the Cardinals and Rams are miles ahead of the Tigers when it comes to attention? More of an east coast scenario?
You all want proof Kietzmann is making shit up?
Look no further than his claim that the Rams are more important to St. Louis than Mizzou. Absolute, complete and utter bullshit.
The Rams had a halfway decent following in St. Louis when they were the best team in the NFC for like three years. Their following currently is a joke, and enough of one that there is serious discussion they might move cities once again.
I love listening to people who don't live in St. Louis and have never lived in St. Louis talk about Missouri's fan following there. It's good for a nice laugh. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Laz:
yea,yea ... the great and all-powerful MU is irreplaceable.
like i said, most MU fans are assholes and won't be missed AT ALL.
{Woosh!}
Yeah - we're gonna really be sorry to be rid of the Beakers ourselves. Where oh where will we go to find out what socks match our Birkenstocks? Where will we ever be reminded what a free throw sounds like?
Oh right {Woosh!}. I'll have to write that down before I leave. [Reply]
Originally Posted by rageeumr:
I know I'm overwhelmingly outnumbered. But I think Mizzou's top 3 options are:
1. A viable Big XII (Adding of a couple good programs like TCU and WVU sure makes them look more viable than it appeared a month ago)
2. B1G. I've posted in this thread before and been told I'm an idiot, but in a perfect world I like how Mizzou fits in the B1G over how they fit in the SEC.
3. SEC.
I think too many fans (and administrators, frankly) are being blinded by the bright lights of the SEC. I don't think it's a good fit culturally or academically and I don't really like the match-ups athletically. I understand the "Big XII is broken let's jump ship while we can" mentality, but I just think the cons overwhelm the pros.
But it looks like we're going. Guess I'm going to have to start liking grits and sweet tea.
1. You should like sweet tea anyway... delicious.
2. I think the preference has been the B1G, but with that shit storm that came in last year that is not really a viable option.
3. I personally am now leary of staying in the Big XII because of the possiblity of this same thing happening next year (see last year's fiasco)... the whole conference has given me a sour taste at this point. Additionally, I think it would be a PR nightmere at this point. It has become a point of no return. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Reerun_KC:
I do think alot of you guys are butthurt over the fact that some of us KU fans are not butthurt that you are leaving..
business is business...
Yeah, no. We don't care.
Most of us are kinda tired about having to defend bullshit generalizations or outright misrepresentations concerning the beliefs of our fanbase, but that's about it. [Reply]
Yeah - we're gonna really be sorry to be rid of the Beakers ourselves. Where or where will we go to find out what socks match our Birkenstocks? Where will we ever be reminded what a free throw sounds like?
Oh right {Woosh!}. I'll have to write that down before I leave.
Don't be mean. Laz is fine if they replace the markets they have lost.
Originally Posted by Saulbadguy:
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.
I like you guys, I hope it works out that the football program can keep playing well and there is a place at a good table for KSU when all this is over, which I guess won't be until OU/UT find a permanent place imo... Always admired Snyder and have had good dealings with K State fans in the past. [Reply]