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 Prison Bitch:
I’m not a conspiracy theorist or anything.
But yeah, I am with Chris Beard taking the Texas job riiiight before this all broke.
They absolutely tipped him off.
I mean he grew up a Texas fan, went to Texas for college, and Texas has better resources. Maybe they reached out to him and he was one of the few in the know but I doubt it. They obviously didn’t leak this information to many people. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Jerm:
Again what move in any conference realignment has been made because of a basketball program? That isn’t even hating on KU, it’s just the truth.
If anything, you’re overrating how much a basketball program means in the grand scheme of things when it comes to realignment.
It’s down to football, TV markets, and AAU status. Nothing else matters.
If this is true, why is the B1G talking to KU as we speak? What would there be to discuss? [Reply]
Originally Posted by RaidersOftheCellar:
If this is true, why is the B1G talking to KU as we speak? What would there be to discuss?
I don’t think the B1G called KU. Especially since Oklahoma and Texas haven’t formally informed the Big12. But I’d be shocked if Kansas and everyone else hasn’t reached out to the B1G through back channels. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Moves within a conf are nearly unheard of
Is there a penalty for him going to the school he wants to be at, pays more money, has the bigger brand by miles, and better facilities/resources? I would see your point if the roles were reversed. But you’re clinging to conspiracy pretty tight here. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Jerm:
Again what move in any conference realignment has been made because of a basketball program? That isn’t even hating on KU, it’s just the truth.
If anything, you’re overrating how much a basketball program means in the grand scheme of things when it comes to realignment.
It’s down to football, TV markets, and AAU status. Nothing else matters.
There is a lot of talk apparently that a potential split from the NCAA would open avenues to monetize basketball much better than in the past.
Also KU generated millions more than Rutgers and that's with the football team being historically low, it's basically only up from here. The future of Kansas is growth and that's why they'd be valuable.
Having KU basketball in the Big 10 makes them a legitimate basketball powerhouse second only to the ACC. [Reply]
Originally Posted by RaidersOftheCellar:
If this is true, why is the B1G talking to KU as we speak? What would there be to discuss?
It’s going to be hilarious when the B1G let’s KU join for a minor membership getting 1/2 of what Michigan & the Ohio State get. I’m not sure they’ll get as much as Nebraska. [Reply]
