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.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Stewie

Why? They are a Big East school with a small TV exposure. The rule of the day is BIG SCHOOL... BIG TV!

New York

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

It further opens up NY.

These two schools are ideal additions to the ACC.

New York State is NOT New York City. Outside of SE New York, upstate NY is rural. Think Vermont and New Hampshire.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Stewie

New York State is NOT New York City. Outside of SE New York, upstate NY is rural. Think Vermont and New Hampshire.

Just who do you think most NYC residents root for? Its not like they have big UNY and NYSU universities to split everyone's loyalty on saturdays.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Just who do you think most NYC residents root for? Its not like they have big UNY and NYSU universities to split everyone's loyalty on saturdays.

They don't care about college football.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Stewie

They don't care about college football.

There are plenty enough who do that NYC has to carry syracuse games.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by alnorth

There are plenty enough who do that NYC has to carry syracuse games.

It's better than watching funny home videos. They still don't care.

[BWillie]

Pretty sure if I moved to NYC, that doesn't mean I all of a sudden hate college football. If anything, the NYC crowd is diverse on what teams they like.

[tk13]

Syracuse has large alumni bases in places like Boston and NYC. Some of you Big 12'ers really need to let go of the idea that these east coast-based leagues are going to give up on New York City in favor of Kansas City. It's just not realistic. Certainly it's not like every football fan in NYC is a Syracuse fan but it's definitely a footprint the ACC doesn't have now.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by tk13

Syracuse has large alumni bases in places like Boston and NYC. Some of you Big 12'ers really need to let go of the idea that these east coast-based leagues are going to give up on New York City in favor of Kansas City. It's just not realistic. Certainly it's not like every football fan in NYC is a Syracuse fan but it's definitely a footprint the ACC doesn't have now.

KU has way more alumni than Syracuse. Syracuse, from what I can tell, has 14,000 undergraduate students. And they want to be a player?

[tk13]

Originally Posted by Stewie

KU has way more alumni than Syracuse. Syracuse, from what I can tell, has 14,000 undergraduate students. And they want to be a player?

Duke probably has half of that. Kick 'em out.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by tk13

Duke probably has half of that. Kick 'em out.

This is what's confusing. The small schools that are protected by a conference are free and clear? Basketball doesn't matter, so why keep them?

Northwestern? Really? They're a viable football school?

[Infidel Goat]

Originally Posted by Stewie

This is what's confusing. The small schools that are protected by a conference are free and clear? Basketball doesn't matter, so why keep them?

Northwestern? Really? They're a viable football school?

Sshh...

I'm a Wake Forest grad...

[tk13]

Originally Posted by Stewie

This is what's confusing. The small schools that are protected by a conference are free and clear? Basketball doesn't matter, so why keep them?

Northwestern? Really? They're a viable football school?

I don't think it's confusing at all. Northwestern is in Chicago. It's one of the best universities in the country... and they've played in several bowl games in the past 15 years or so, although without much success.

And there's no way you'd ever get the ACC to break up the Carolina schools. That's the heart of the conference.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by tk13

I don't think it's confusing at all. Northwestern is in Chicago. It's one of the best universities in the country... and they've played in several bowl games in the past 15 years or so, although without much success.

And there's no way you'd ever get the ACC to break up the Carolina schools. That's the heart of the conference.

The point in all this mess is, "we want TV eyes!" It's apparent that TV is going to align schools. Who watches Northwestern football? Sorry, but in the scheme of things, NW doesnt' matter.

IMO, schools with less than 25K enrollment are screwed.

[|Zach|]

It’s about being able to tell advertisers you’re in a market