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.
Had a nice conversation with someone high in KU's AD yesterday. KU is going to remain loyal to the Big 12. It's the best thing for all of the schools in the conference. Kansas will probably be the most active in trying to keep this conference together. Expansion isn't just possible, it's very likely. [Reply]
Longhorn Network pushing ahead with high school highlights
After getting clearance from the NCAA in August, the Longhorn Network is pushing forward with its desire to show highlights, scores or statistics from high school football games… Dave Brown, LHN vice president for programming and acquisitions, has made a pitch to four Texas television affiliates in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston, offering to trade two-minute, LHN-produced clips in exchange for the station’s high school football game highlights. LHN sent out a clip of Longhorns quarterback Garrett Gilbert as a leader, after he was benched. ESPN said Houston station KTRK agreed, but San Antonio’s KSAT turned down the LHN offer. “We were really insulted that (the Longhorn Network might think) we’d just roll over for them.”
Originally Posted by eazyb81:
Longhorn Network pushing ahead with high school highlights
After getting clearance from the NCAA in August, the Longhorn Network is pushing forward with its desire to show highlights, scores or statistics from high school football games… Dave Brown, LHN vice president for programming and acquisitions, has made a pitch to four Texas television affiliates in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston, offering to trade two-minute, LHN-produced clips in exchange for the station’s high school football game highlights. LHN sent out a clip of Longhorns quarterback Garrett Gilbert as a leader, after he was benched. ESPN said Houston station KTRK agreed, but San Antonio’s KSAT turned down the LHN offer. “We were really insulted that (the Longhorn Network might think) we’d just roll over for them.”
- from Austin American-Statesman
How does the NCAA give clearance for this? Teams can't mention a recruits name over the PA system on an official visit when the stadium is empty, but UT can show highlights of those players on TV with commentary? BS. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Braincase:
Had a nice conversation with someone high in KU's AD yesterday. KU is going to remain loyal to the Big 12. It's the best thing for all of the schools in the conference. Kansas will probably be the most active in trying to keep this conference together. Expansion isn't just possible, it's very likely.
Why is it that only KU, KSU, and ISU fans all seem to think that the Big XII is best for all of the schools? [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP:
How does the NCAA give clearance for this? Teams can't mention a recruits name over the PA system on an official visit when the stadium is empty, but UT can show highlights of those players on TV with commentary? BS.
