New Conference re-alignment thread

[Saulbadguy]

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.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by SPchief

Is it about time for Wickedson to come in and puff his chest about KU basketball yet in this cycle?

eh, win something and I'll get nervous.

until then we're chillen.

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by UCF Knight

So... when are we going to the S.E.C. title game at arrowhead?

Yeah, not likely. It's always played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The basketball tournament travels.

[allen_kcCard]

St. John laughed off a caller this morning that suggested that if MU goes to the SEC that radio stations here will in time stop covering him.

Something that crossed my mind as he seemed to think that was silly is, how many of that large pool of MU fans he mentioned are Cardinals baseball fans? 10%/? 25%? Half?

It seemed funny to me that he laughed it off so easily, when a team that is in the WS in the same state isn't hardly mentioned unless it is in a sportcenter update or interleague play.

[Al Bundy]

Originally Posted by allen_kcCard

St. John laughed off a caller this morning that suggested that if MU goes to the SEC that radio stations here will in time stop covering him.

Something that crossed my mind as he seemed to think that was silly is, how many of that large pool of MU fans he mentioned are Cardinals baseball fans? 10%/? 25%? Half?

It seemed funny to me that he laughed it off so easily, when a team that is in the WS in the same state isn't hardly mentioned unless it is in a sportcenter update or interleague play.

I think it has to do with a lot of people on this side of the state being Royals fans and just plain not liking the Cardinals. If Kansas City didn't have the Royals I think the Cards would get a lot of coverage. I think KK said he won't cover MU at all if they leave for the S.E.C.

[Al Bundy]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

Yeah, not likely. It's always played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The basketball tournament travels.

I didn't figure as much. I did have someone on my facebook think an MU-Arkansas FB game at Arrowhead would be fun.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by allen_kcCard

St. John laughed off a caller this morning that suggested that if MU goes to the SEC that radio stations here will in time stop covering him.

Something that crossed my mind as he seemed to think that was silly is, how many of that large pool of MU fans he mentioned are Cardinals baseball fans? 10%/? 25%? Half?

It seemed funny to me that he laughed it off so easily, when a team that is in the WS in the same state isn't hardly mentioned unless it is in a sportcenter update or interleague play.

A third of the population in the metro area are Mizzou fans. I'm pretty sure they're going to get a mention here and there when ****ing Alabama comes to town.

Nick Wright has said that he can't wait to cover the SEC. I mean seriously, would you rather cover the Jayhawks traveling to Lubbock to play the Red Raiders or the Tigers visiting Death Valley? The Louisville Cardinals coming to Manhattan to square off against KSU or the Gators invading Faurot?

This is going to be badass.

[Reerun_KC]

Bye Guys...

Enjoy the new conference.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

Yeah, not likely. It's always played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The basketball tournament travels.

The SEC basketball tourney will never once be played in Kansas City under the presumptive 14 team alignment. I would put money down.

The move to the SEC is great for the university, but make no mistake, everyone: this is a formal "**** you" to Kansas City. St. Louis becomes MU's favorite and most important city now, by far. By proximity if nothing else.

[allen_kcCard]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

A third of the population in the metro area are Mizzou fans. I'm pretty sure they're going to get a mention here and there when ****ing Alabama comes to town.

Nick Wright has said that he can't wait to cover the SEC. I mean seriously, would you rather cover the Jayhawks traveling to Lubbock to play the Red Raiders or the Tigers visiting Death Valley? The Louisville Cardinals coming to Manhattan to square off against KSU or the Gators invading Faurot?

This is going to be badass.

I agree. I just thought it was funny that the idea of it happening to MU fans seemed impossible to him on one hand, where a team that isn't that much further and just as much a part of that fanbase as a whole is completely ignored.

[allen_kcCard]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

The SEC basketball tourney will never once be played in Kansas City under the presumptive 14 team alignment. I would put money down.

The move to the SEC is great for the university, but make no mistake, everyone: this is a formal "**** you" to Kansas City. St. Louis becomes MU's favorite and most important city now, by far. By proximity if nothing else.

Because of ~30 miles?

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by allen_kcCard

Because of ~30 miles?

Proximity to the rest of the SEC. If Missouri is to ever host the basketball tourney then it would surely be in STL.

[Dayze]

I"m a Bama fan, and can't wait for MU to join the SEC (assuming it happens). MU will become my favorite team to follow in the SEC, after my real favorite team. This will make listening to local talk radio a lot easier for me; I won't have to change the channel when they start talking about Big 12 FB as I now do.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by Dayze

I"m a Bama fan, and can't wait for MU to join the SEC (assuming it happens). MU will become my favorite team to follow in the SEC, after my real favorite team. This will make listening to local talk radio a lot easier for me; I won't have to change the channel when they start talking about Big 12 FB as I now do.

"PAAAAAAAWWWWWWWLLLLLLLL, why do Missurah fans call themselves 'Mizzou.' They have three different names?"

Oh, you mean KC-area local radio, not Alabama radio. Nvm.

[eazyb81]

http://www.chron.com/sports/cougars/...ce-2223466.php

Big East is reportedly inviting Houston. If my numbers are right, there are now 79 teams expected to join the Big East by 2013.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

The SEC basketball tourney will never once be played in Kansas City under the presumptive 14 team alignment. I would put money down.

The move to the SEC is great for the university, but make no mistake, everyone: this is a formal "**** you" to Kansas City. St. Louis becomes MU's favorite and most important city now, by far. By proximity if nothing else.

If I was a Missouri fan living in KC, that would be the big downside to the SEC for me... the upsides would still be worth the move, but being so far away from the center of the SEC would suck, after years of MU/KU games at Arrowhead, hosting the Big 12 Tournament, etc.

OTOH, Delta has direct flights to Atlanta from KCI...