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.

[CoMoChief]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Just saw that.

what?

They call that stability....I thought the idea was to make the conference STRONGER....meaning better institutions/programs like maybe L'ville, PIT, TCU, etc.

But Tulane?

MU needs to go to the SEC.

Pinkel has that program going in the right direction. He's been able to produce a good crop of 1st rounders in recent years..he can at least recruit...and besides getting the TX players that are overlooked....now he can dip into the LA, FL, BAMA, GA pipelines as well. I think moving to the SEC helps his recruiting if anything.

[DeezNutz]

Louisville and TCU are damn near as pathetic as Tulane.

[Bewbies]

Why in the hell would you stay in a conference that thinks it gets stronger by adding Tulane?

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by Dr. Gigglepants

I for one welcome our new Southern football overlords, but so help me God, if there ever comes a day when you can only find sweet tea at a Missouri restaurant, someone will burn.

No fear, I only drink unsweet tea. Sweet tea is gross. Unsweet tea is Awesome.

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Here's a list of the teams that have played in the SEC title game in the past 10 years:

East Division
Florida
Georgia
Tennessee
South Carolina

West Division
Auburn
Alabama
LSU
Arkansas
LSU

Nine of the 12 teams in that conference have played in the title game. 75 percent. Much more parity in that league than the Big 12, which has seen only six teams in the Big 12 title game over the past 10 years. 50 percent.

The SEC also has great teams at the top. But the four super elites do go through cycles.

Florida is currently in a bit of a down cycle after a long run with Urban Meyer (that followed an extreme down cycle under Zook)

Alabama is riding high under Saban, but the guy is 60. There's no guarantee they'll get it right when he retires. They didn't with Shula, Price, etc.

LSU was a pretty middling school in football before Saban (their history looks a little like Missouri's - big dark period in the 80s and early 90s) and Miles rolled in. Miles is 58.

Auburn is a classic up-and-down program.

My point: If you look at the past 25 years, the SEC has always been great, but programs have cycled up and down. They've moved from the second tier to the first tier and vice versa. Some have even had years where they cycle into the third tier, fighting just to make a bowl.

Yes, the SEC is tough as hell. But what makes it tough is the depth, not that the super powers are that much more super than anyone else.

With the right coach and commitment to football, a team can find great success down there.

Solid post. I posted something similar last night. There have been 8 different SEC teams in the conference championship game in the last 10 years. 7 of those 8 have made it at least twice.

SEC Conf. Champ. Game Appearances
LSU 4
Florida 3
Tennessee 3
Georgia 3
Arkansas 2
Auburn 2
Alabama 2
South Carolina

Further..

In the last 10 years the Big XII has had 2 teams who have been to 2 or more BCS games. In the same time period the SEC has had 5 teams with 2 or more BCS game appearances.

[WilliamTheIrish]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

No fear, I only drink unsweet tea. Sweet tea is gross. Unsweet tea is Awesome.

Turkish ( to Bricktop) sugar? (for Bricktop's tea)

Bricktop: No thank you Turkish.....I'm sweet enough.

One of the all time great lines in Snatch.

[Crush]

bobfescoe Bob Fescoe
There is NO truth to the rumor that the Busch Stadium Squirrel has applied for membership to the Big 12.

[Saulbadguy]

This is going to be hilarious.

[Saulbadguy]

http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1275023

According to multiple sources, Texas, after talking to ESPN, has agreed not to air any content involving high school athletics, not even the news-style highlights that had been approved by the NCAA, sources told Orangebloods.com Wednesday night.

It's the latest attempt to reach peace in the Big 12 as part of an agreement in principle for schools to grant their Tier 1 and 2 TV rights to the conference for six years.

The "compromise" deal was struck Wednesday after Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas gave Texas a 24-hour deadline to consider the Tier 3 content concessions, which impact Texas the most because of its Longhorn Network, sources said.

The question is if this agreement will be enough to keep Missouri in the Big 12.

Missouri was more interested in a proposal that would grant rights for the 13 years remaining on the Fox television deal struck with the Big 12 in April, sources said.

Missouri and Oklahoma pushed for high school content restrictions on Tier 3 (that would impact the Longhorn Network) as part of the 13-year proposal, sources said.

But talks about granting rights for 13 years broke off after negotiations started Sunday night and went into Monday, sources said.

The talks broke off, in part, because Texas was hesitant to commit to granting rights for more than a decade while also having to make concessions on content impacting the Longhorn Network.

So Texas agreeing to restrict any and all high school content for the next six years, while also granting rights for that length ended up as the compromise, sources said.

Some schools in the Big 12 were wary of allowing more than one football game, including conference games, to be aired at the Tier 3 level. But that was not part of the compromise.

Big 12 presidents and chancellors are expected to talk early Thursday to formally finalize an agreement. It remains to be seen how Missouri will react. But multiple officials across the Big 12 are hoping Mizzou reacts favorably by joining the agreement and staying put.

Stay tuned.

[Saul Good]

Too little too late

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1275023

That's great.

What about agreeing to sign over rights for more than six years, and agreeing that they won't buy other Big 12 games from Fox to display on their network?

[beer bacon]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

That's great.

What about agreeing to sign over rights for more than six years, and agreeing that they won't buy other Big 12 games from Fox to display on their network?

The only thing that makes financial sense for the entire conference is to eliminate the LHN and start a Big 12 Network. The conference was foolish to let Texas start the LHN in the first place.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by beer bacon

The only thing that makes financial sense for the entire conference is to eliminate the LHN and start a Big 12 Network. The conference was foolish to let Texas start the LHN in the first place.

Texas has blocked a league-wide network for years. They've been planning the LHN for a while, and it has prevented a Big 12 network from ever forming.

Weiser wanted to do it before the Big Ten ever talked about it seriously. If the Big 12 creates a network when he wanted to, this whole thing probably shakes out differently.

[digger]

Originally Posted by beer bacon

The only thing that makes financial sense for the entire conference is to eliminate the LHN and start a Big 12 Network. The conference was foolish to let Texas start the LHN in the first place.

This is the problem with the big 12..11..10..9..8.. the TLN!!!

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

This is going to be hilarious.

No idea why anyone would care at this point; you have Tulane ready to step in to fill the void.