The old one has AIDS.
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.
Stay tuned.
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Originally Posted by :
Wave bye-bye to Aggies; All in for SEC
Posted on: September 24, 2011 5:54 pm
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Consider the Aggies departed to the SEC.
Texas A&M president R. Bowden Loftin told CBSSports.com Saturday he expects the Aggies to be in the SEC "shortly". After joining a Big12 presidents' conference call this week, Loftin said the Big 12 is committed to going forward "without us."
"I think the legal issues are basically gone," said Loftin speaking at halftime of the Oklahoma State-A&M game.
He was referring to four Big 12 schools that retained their rights to possibly sue the SEC if A&M leaves. Baylor had been heading up that effort since early September when former commissioner Dan Beebe wrote SEC commissioner Mike Slive that all hurdles had been cleared for A&M to join the SEC.
A&M could be playing its first game as an SEC member (actual membership begins July 1) next Saturday against Arkansas in Arlington, Texas.
"Look at what’s happened this past week," Loftin said. "The action on Tuesday night by the Pac-12 has led to the Big 12, minus us, being in place. I joined the teleconference on Thursday evening of the Big 12 directors. They were firmly committed to going forward without us with nine teams."
CBSSports.com reported earlier Saturday that Texas A&M officials considered the SEC membership to be resolved quickly. Loftin was asked directly if he expects A&M to be in the SEC by next Saturday.
"I expect to be in the SEC soon," he said.
Loftin said he would listen to a plea from interim commissioner Chuck Neinas to keep the Aggies in the Big 12, but didn't sound hopeful.
“He’s an icon in our world, you know that," Loftin said "I’d be willing to talk to Chuck anytime he wants to be talk to me. But we’ve made a very firm decision about our future here and we’re going to stick with it. What more can I say?"
On Friday, Neinas said he would try to contact A&M but considered them gone to the SEC. He also said he expects Missouri to stay in the Big 12.
Loftin spoke exclusively to CBSSports.com and the Dallas Morning News.
http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.c...70202/32219659
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