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.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Pants

That depends. Are we going to play MU instead of tOSU for example? If that's the case, I think it would be in the best interest of KU to go ahead and play tOSU instead.

As far as football is concerned, I'd like to keep the Arrowhead showdown.

Here's a list of non-con games that KU plays in 2011-12 that could be replaced by MU in the future:

Nov. 1 (Tuesday), Fort Hays State, Lawrence, Kan. (exhibition)

Nov. 8 (Tuesday), Pittsburg State, Lawrence, Kan. (exhibition)

Nov. 30 (Wednesday), Florida Atlantic, Lawrence, Kan.

Dec. 3 (Saturday), South Florida, Lawrence, Kan.

Dec. 6 (Tuesday), Long Beach State, Lawrence, Kan.

Dec. 19 (Monday), Davidson, Kansas City, Mo. (M&I Bank Kansas City Shootout at Sprint Center)

Dec. 22 (Thursday), at USC, Los Angeles, Calif.

Dec. 29 (Thursday), Howard, Lawrence, Kan.

Dec. 31 (Saturday), North Dakota, Lawrence, Kan.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Here's a list of non-con games that KU plays in 2011-12 that could be replaced by MU in the future:

Nov. 1 (Tuesday), Fort Hays State, Lawrence, Kan. (exhibition)

Nov. 8 (Tuesday), Pittsburg State, Lawrence, Kan. (exhibition)

Nov. 30 (Wednesday), Florida Atlantic, Lawrence, Kan.

Dec. 3 (Saturday), South Florida, Lawrence, Kan.

Dec. 6 (Tuesday), Long Beach State, Lawrence, Kan.

Dec. 19 (Monday), Davidson, Kansas City, Mo. (M&I Bank Kansas City Shootout at Sprint Center)

Dec. 22 (Thursday), at USC, Los Angeles, Calif.

Dec. 29 (Thursday), Howard, Lawrence, Kan.

Dec. 31 (Saturday), North Dakota, Lawrence, Kan.

The USC game is probably a part of the Big12/Pac12 deal.

Is MU willing to come to Lawrence for the non-con game? I figured it would have to be a home/away deal or in the Sprint Center. Of course, if it's going to make KU more money playing you guys at the Sprint Center than it would playing any of those schools in Lawrence, then I would be all for replacing one of those games for it. Other than that, it would have to be an M&I classic, but I don't know who schedules those.

[Bambi]

KK should be good coming up here in a few.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Pants

The USC game is probably a part of the Big12/Pac12 deal.

Is MU willing to come to Lawrence for the non-con game? I figured it would have to be a home/away deal or in the Sprint Center. Of course, if it's going to make KU more money playing you guys at the Sprint Center than it would playing any of those schools in Lawrence, then I would be all for replacing one of those games for it. Other than that, it would have to be an M&I classic, but I don't know who schedules those.

I would think it would be in the Sprint Center for basketball and Arrowhead in football.

Let's face it. The only reason to turn down the game would be to send a "screw you" to Mizzou. You've already acknowledged that Mizzou has to take the boat-load of cash in the SEC, so why is there a need for the hostility?

Mizzou doesn't really care about the rivalry as much as Kansas does. Most Kansans live within an hour of Missouri. Only about a third of Missourians live within an hour of Kansas. You're our biggest rival, but we'll move on.

I would think that KU needs the rivalry more than MU, but I don't know that for certain. Mizzou's base is going to be fired up for Florida and Bama and Tenn and LSU and Kentucky and Auburn and Georgia and Arkansas... KU has to get fired up for K-State and Iowa State and Baylor and Texas Tech and BYU(?) and Cincy(?)...

What if shit really hits the fan and OU, OSU, Texas, and Tech wind up in the PAC and the B1G doesn't want to expand for at least a few years? Suddenly, KU finds itself in some garbage conference, and they don't even have Mizzou on the schedule. Is that risk really worth "teaching MU a lesson"?

[Pants]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

I would think it would be in the Sprint Center for basketball and Arrowhead in football.

Let's face it. The only reason to turn down the game would be to send a "screw you" to Mizzou. You've already acknowledged that Mizzou has to take the boat-load of cash in the SEC, so why is there a need for the hostility?

Mizzou doesn't really care about the rivalry as much as Kansas does. Most Kansans live within an hour of Missouri. Only about a third of Missourians live within an hour of Kansas. You're our biggest rival, but we'll move on.

I would think that KU needs the rivalry more than MU, but I don't know that for certain. Mizzou's base is going to be fired up for Florida and Bama and Tenn and LSU and Kentucky and Auburn and Georgia and Arkansas... KU has to get fired up for K-State and Iowa State and Baylor and Texas Tech and BYU(?) and Cincy(?)...

What if shit really hits the fan and OU, OSU, Texas, and Tech wind up in the PAC and the B1G doesn't want to expand for at least a few years? Suddenly, KU finds itself in some garbage conference, and they don't even have Mizzou on the schedule. Is that risk really worth "teaching MU a lesson"?

I don't think in terms of teaching anyone a lesson. I'm a pragmatist when it comes to this.

[Saulbadguy]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

I would think it would be in the Sprint Center for basketball and Arrowhead in football.

Let's face it. The only reason to turn down the game would be to send a "screw you" to Mizzou. You've already acknowledged that Mizzou has to take the boat-load of cash in the SEC, so why is there a need for the hostility?

Mizzou doesn't really care about the rivalry as much as Kansas does. Most Kansans live within an hour of Missouri. Only about a third of Missourians live within an hour of Kansas. You're our biggest rival, but we'll move on.

I would think that KU needs the rivalry more than MU, but I don't know that for certain. Mizzou's base is going to be fired up for Florida and Bama and Tenn and LSU and Kentucky and Auburn and Georgia and Arkansas... KU has to get fired up for K-State and Iowa State and Baylor and Texas Tech and BYU(?) and Cincy(?)...

What if shit really hits the fan and OU, OSU, Texas, and Tech wind up in the PAC and the B1G doesn't want to expand for at least a few years? Suddenly, KU finds itself in some garbage conference, and they don't even have Mizzou on the schedule. Is that risk really worth "teaching MU a lesson"?

You are right. KU gets fired up for Mizzou. In fact, when Mizzou came in town ranked in 2003, the #23 largest crowd in Memorial Stadium history showed up to see KU defeat them.

That is the largest crowd in history to see KU vs Mizzou in Lawrence. The 23rd largest overall.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

You are right. KU gets fired up for Mizzou. In fact, when Mizzou came in town ranked in 2003, the #23 largest crowd in Memorial Stadium history showed up to see KU defeat them.

That is the largest crowd in history to see KU vs Mizzou in Lawrence. The 23rd largest overall.

What's your point when the discussion is a game at Arrowhead? The most watched football game in 2007 in the entire country was the border-war at Arrowhead. More people watched that game than any game in KU history. More people attended that game than have ever attended a game in Lawrence.

K-State doesn't have any rivals, just a big brother, so it makes sense that you wouldn't understand.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

I would think it would be in the Sprint Center for basketball and Arrowhead in football.

Let's face it. The only reason to turn down the game would be to send a "screw you" to Mizzou. You've already acknowledged that Mizzou has to take the boat-load of cash in the SEC, so why is there a need for the hostility?

Mizzou doesn't really care about the rivalry as much as Kansas does. Most Kansans live within an hour of Missouri. Only about a third of Missourians live within an hour of Kansas. You're our biggest rival, but we'll move on.

I would think that KU needs the rivalry more than MU, but I don't know that for certain. Mizzou's base is going to be fired up for Florida and Bama and Tenn and LSU and Kentucky and Auburn and Georgia and Arkansas... KU has to get fired up for K-State and Iowa State and Baylor and Texas Tech and BYU(?) and Cincy(?)...

What if shit really hits the fan and OU, OSU, Texas, and Tech wind up in the PAC and the B1G doesn't want to expand for at least a few years? Suddenly, KU finds itself in some garbage conference, and they don't even have Mizzou on the schedule. Is that risk really worth "teaching MU a lesson"?

Kansas and Texas have a great rivalry in basketball.

Why would you not include it in your list there?

[Mr. Plow]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

I would think that KU needs the rivalry more than MU, but I don't know that for certain. Mizzou's base is going to be fired up for Florida and Bama and Tenn and LSU and Kentucky and Auburn and Georgia and Arkansas... KU has to get fired up for K-State and Iowa State and Baylor and Texas Tech and BYU(?) and Cincy(?)...

One question because this keeps popping up - KU has to get fired up for KSU/ISU/BU/etc & MU has to get up for Florida/Alabama/Tennessee/etc.....


But, do Florida/Alabama/Tennessee/LSU/Auburn/Georgia have to get fired up for MU?

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

You are right. KU gets fired up for Mizzou. In fact, when Mizzou came in town ranked in 2003, the #23 largest crowd in Memorial Stadium history showed up to see KU defeat them.

That is the largest crowd in history to see KU vs Mizzou in Lawrence. The 23rd largest overall.

hmpf, weird

[Saulbadguy]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

What's your point when the discussion is a game at Arrowhead? The most watched football game in 2007 in the entire country was the border-war at Arrowhead. More people watched that game than any game in KU history. More people attended that game than have ever attended a game in Lawrence.

K-State doesn't have any rivals, just a big brother, so it makes sense that you wouldn't understand.

Pffft. Either side would be pretty dumb to agree to another Arrowhead series. Unless either team is really good people won't show up.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

Kansas and Texas have a great rivalry in basketball.

Why would you not include it in your list there?

Kansas considers Texas to be a rival in basketball. Texas couldn't care less about basketball.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

Pffft. Either side would be pretty dumb to agree to another Arrowhead series. Unless either team is really good people won't show up.

How do you feel about Farmageddon?

[Saulbadguy]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

hmpf, weird

Yeah, I figured "bitter rivals" like that would draw a better crowd.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Mr. Plow

One question because this keeps popping up - KU has to get fired up for KSU/ISU/BU/etc & MU has to get up for Florida/Alabama/Tennessee/etc.....


But, do Florida/Alabama/Tennessee/LSU/Auburn/Georgia have to get fired up for MU?

I'm pretty sure you don't have to worry about those schools filling their stadiums when Mizzou or any other team comes to town.