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.
University of Kansas $7,276,988.00
Oklahoma State University $6,395,000.00
University of Nebraska $4,393,529.00
University of Missouri $4,081,549.00
Kansas State University $3,263,941.00
Iowa State University $2,608,896.00
University of Texas $338,171.00
University of Oklahoma $317,361.00
University of Colorado $155,528.00
Texas Tech University $0.00
Texas A&M University $0.00
Baylor N/A [Reply]
Originally Posted by :
Neinas speaks, Missouri sets meeting
Pete Scantlebury
PowerMizzou.com Recruiting Editor
Interim Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas answered questions in a 22-minute long teleconference on Monday as the embattled conference enters one of the most pivotal weeks in its 15-year history.
On Sunday, the Big 12 Board of Directors met and unanimously agreed on equal revenue distribution in regards to Tier 1 and Tier 2 television rights, as well as equal distribution across the board for men's basketball and the NCAA basketball tournament. While it was agreed on in principal, each team would have to grant its rights for Tier 1 and Tier 2 for at least six years.
"The idea of a longer term was discussed, but not rejected," Neinas said. "That's why we said at least six years. The board could choose to do something different in terms of duration."
While the Big 12 appears set to survive, Missouri has been at the heart of the future of the conference. Over the past few weeks, rumors swirled about the Tigers' less-than-lukewarm feeling to the new-look Big 12, especially in regards to the previously unequal distribution of revenue and ESPN's Longhorn Network. Neinas said he believed Sunday's agreement (in principle) would have a positive effect on Missouri.
"I do think they'll consider what we're doing," Neinas said. "We have some things in mind that I'm not prepared to reveal at this point. We're working in a positive way to improve the conference."
With the expansion committee activated and ready to approach new teams -- Neinas said there has been plenty of interest -- Missouri is still the key cog in the procedure. At noon Monday, the Missouri system announced a meeting of its board of curators scheduled for 4 PM Tuesday in St. Louis. The agenda has not been announced, but conference affiliation is rumored to be at the center of the meeting. It will be a closed session, and the administration will meet with reporters afterward.
MU chancellor Brady Deaton remains on the Big 12's expansion committee, although he is not the chairman. Neinas said he doesn't believe Deaton ever was the chairman, but admitted that he could be wrong.
On Sunday, Deaton took part in the Big 12 Board of Directors meeting, although Neinas said he recused himself from a certain part based on legal advice from his counsel. Neinas refused to answer a question about which part of the meeting in which Deaton refused to participate.
In such a pivotal week to the future shape and direction of the conference, Neinas said he will visit Columbia this week, as well as other schools, as he continues his tour of his newly inherited conference. Should Missouri still be undecided in its conference future, Neinas said his pitch will be a simple one based on tradition and geography.
"I think they have to look at not only what the future best interests are for the University of Missouri, but for the state of Missouri," Neinas said. "There's a lot to be considered not only for the institution but for the state. You know they have the Big 12 conference basketball tournament in Missouri, they've got the long running games with the University of Kansas which is their traditional rivalry, going back to, what, 1893? The other thing is it's one thing to talk about the Southeastern Conference, but how many people are going to be able to afford the travel to Gainesville, Fla., or Columbia, S.C., or Tuscaloosa, Ala.?
"John Q. Fan, he can get in the car and drive to Big 12 games. Besides, Missouri is Midwestern, not Southern."
All eyes will remain on Missouri until Tuesday evening.
Baylors event in 1909 would predate Missouri by two years. I don't have a dog in this fight, but it's been argued for a long while over who established it. [Reply]
Less than two weeks after Missouri's inaugural homecoming game, the school's newspaper, the University Missourian, acknowledged in its December 4, 1911 edition that Illinois, as well as other schools had preceded Mizzou. "The fall home-coming idea originated by Illinois last year is being taken up by several other universities. Indiana held hers at the Purdue-Indiana game. Wisconsin celebrated at the Wisconsin game and Missouri welcomed her 'old grads' back at the Missouri-Kansas game."
Wow - Neinas sounds like a bit of a tottering old jackass, doesn't he?
"I don't think Deaton was ever the chairman...though I could be wrong"
Fuckin' eh, man. You just took over a conference who's primary problem right now has been expansion and you don't know who the chair of the expansion committee was? I thought he was just playing a semantics game earlier - evidently he's just senile.
Andy_Staples Andy Staples
I love Chuck Neinas pretending to be confused as people ask him whether Missouri is in or out. Neinas is much smarter than he's letting on. [Reply]