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.
Paul Finebaum had Tony Barnhart from CBS Sports on his show today and he said that Missouri has always been the only 14th SEC desired team with an offer. He also said that FSU, Clemson, WVU, Virginia Tech were never under consideration.
He then mentioned that the SEC will wait and they are prepared to keep the league at 13 with TA&M if Missouri does not accept. SEC has already taken the steps to create an off balanced schedule although they prefer to balance it out with Missouri...
I have no idea if Mizzou will end up in the SEC - I actually think the odds are that they stay put in the Big 12. But I have heard enough smoke from both Mizzou and SEC insiders at this point to believe that an offer/invite/suggestion/whatever has definitely been made to let Mizzou know they have a spot in the conference if they want it. [Reply]
Originally Posted by HolyHandgernade:
I'll bet my casino cash that Missouri stays and there is no concession by Texas to share third tier rights.
sharing tier 3 money is not a major issue outside the internet. The 2 big issues are high school on the LHN and the need to set up rules acceptable to all on conference football games on the LHN. [Reply]
Originally Posted by alnorth:
sharing tier 3 money is not a major issue outside the internet. The 2 big issues are high school on the LHN and the need to set up rules acceptable to all on conference football games on the LHN.
3rd tier rights shouldn't be an issue. I know Missouri had a PPV game this year, Nebraska had them in the past as has OU and others.
They just keep that money to themselves as well. [Reply]
Originally Posted by alnorth:
sharing tier 3 money is not a major issue outside the internet. The 2 big issues are high school on the LHN and the need to set up rules acceptable to all on conference football games on the LHN.
I agree, I just saw duncan idaho say something to that affect. Personally, I really could care less about the LHN. I don't think it adds much of a competitive advantage if any.
That said, I would argue the important issues are more about establishing the vision and cooperation of the conference, not the restriction of this or that. The Big XII ought to have some common goals instead of promoting this constant "every school for themselves" mentality.
Now, you might say the LHN is an impediment towards those goals, but I don't think so. The LHN is a big deal because everyone chooses to use it as a symbol of division. The Big XII needs to identify what to work together on, what they stand for as a conference and how they want to assist each other in that endeavor. Until people stop making a bigger deal out of the LHN than needs be, consensus building will not occur. And that's just as much a problem of the eight other members as it is Texas. [Reply]
I don't even have a rooting interest in any of this, but I think some of you guys are way too trusting of Texas. They just went around the country displaying their arrogance, and people think they're going to come back and be nice to the Big XII now? Really?
I don't think their network is a big deal now because nobody is carrying it. But I think if it does start to get picked up, then it'll be a problem years down the road. Gotta be a huge recruiting advantage in all sports to say to recruits "Hey, we have our own cable channel, people can watch you play, plus we'll do feature stories and programs about you all the time!" A 24 hour network basically devoted to promotion of your school. Nobody else in the country has anything like that. If any of these other AD's in their conference are forward thinking at all, you'd think they would know better, just in case it does happen to take off.
To me this looks like a bunch of fans who watched their hot girlfriend flirt with pretty much everyone else, get bored when no one would put up with their BS, and come back for now pretending like nothing happened, and you all are just putting up with it because you don't want to be alone. [Reply]
I don't think its a "trusting Texas" issue. I mean, where is Texas really going to go. To go anywhere else, Texas has to "adjust" its LHN. Only in the Big XII does Texas really get about everything it wants. And, while most don't want to admit it, Texas gives the conference just about everything it needs: competition, national exposure, recruiting grounds, TV markets.
We don't have to be "best buds", but we do need to be good allies, and good allies promote the overall good of the whole. It doesn't seem practical right now, but it doesn't make it impossible. With the right leadership, this conference could be outstanding, and that leadership has to come from all parties towards common goals, not focuses on what agitates them. [Reply]
Originally Posted by HolyHandgernade: I don't think its a "trusting Texas" issue. I mean, where is Texas really going to go. To go anywhere else, Texas has to "adjust" its LHN. Only in the Big XII does Texas really get about everything it wants. And, while most don't want to admit it, Texas gives the conference just about everything it needs: competition, national exposure, recruiting grounds, TV markets.
We don't have to be "best buds", but we do need to be good allies, and good allies promote the overall good of the whole. It doesn't seem practical right now, but it doesn't make it impossible. With the right leadership, this conference could be outstanding, and that leadership has to come from all parties towards common goals, not focuses on what agitates them.
If I get this right, you're saying :-) and kiss Bevo's ass.
It's all good as long as Texas gets everything it wants. [Reply]
The Jayhawk Network is worth 7.3 million a year. All going to the University of Kansas. But doesn't really have the potential to be HUGE like the LHN. Guess basketball can make some money [Reply]
How come Kentucky likes the SEC so much? What do they get out of getting their brains kicked in every year in the SEC football? They are a basketball school anyway. I know they aren't going anywhere, but just dreaming about a home and away in basketball would be ridiculous, then throw in Louisville in there. [Reply]
