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 RustShack

Also I'm starting to think that if conference armageddon does happen, ISU is B1G bound.

Iowa State is a great fit as long as the B!G isn't concerned with having a school that is good at football, good at basketball, good at academics, or expanding the conference's footprint.

[Saulbadguy]

Originally Posted by RustShack

Also I'm starting to think that if conference armageddon does happen, ISU is B1G bound.

No.

[Saulbadguy]

Although Texas might join the Big 10.

[tk13]

Don't worry, Notre Dame is going to swoop in and save the Big 12!

[Saul Good]

There is as good of a chance that Texas goes to the Patriot League as there is of Iowa State going to the B!G.

[Backwards Masking]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

It's not hypocrisy in reality. It kills me the way people think that the colleges owe them a playoff system like in profootball.

they don't just owe it to me, they owe it all their fellow Americans, those American's children, their children, and their children's children.

And if it's not hypocrisy, they'd come out and say "we're in it for the money only" instead of going into the Tradition defense before debating which 100 plus year rivalry to break up next.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Backwards Masking

they don't just owe it to me, they owe it all their fellow Americans, those American's children, their children, and their children's children.

And if it's not hypocrisy, they'd come out and say "we're in it for the money only" instead of going into the Tradition defense before debating which 100 plus year rivalry to break up next.

Show me where the NCAA has said that tradition was the reason to keep the BCS.

[kysirsoze]

This stuff is even less interesting to me than the CBA talks were. Wake me when it's over.

(Don't worry, that's the extent to which I'll shit in this thread.)

[Backwards Masking]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Show me where the NCAA has said that tradition was the reason to keep the BCS.

i never claimed they said it was their main reason, but it has been used as one reason several times. they dont exactly openly admit they're denying fans of a fairly decided championship based on pure greed either.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Show me where the NCAA has said that tradition was the reason to keep the BCS.

The NCAA has nothing to do with the BCS. If it was up to the NCAA, I imagine they would love to control the CFB postseason with an NCAA football tournament, with a huge multi-year contract with CBS or whoever, etc.

However, the NCAA does not have any control over the postseason except for enforcement actions for rules violations. The major conferences have seized control of the football postseason, and they keep all the money. Unlike the NCAA basketball tournament, which is used to fund every other damned sport, which makes basketball programs less important to conferences than football programs because the NCAA is too much of a gutless coward than to try to get control of football revenue.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Backwards Masking

i never claimed they said it was their main reason, but it has been used as one reason several times. they dont exactly openly admit they're denying fans of a fairly decided championship based on pure greed either.

If you are mad at the NCAA, your anger is wildly misplaced. They have allowed themselves to become helpless bystanders with no access to college football money. Get mad at the BCS conferences.

[HolyHandgernade]

Exactly, the BCS actually does not want these super conferences as it will dilute the Bowl System. They, and the TV execs would much rather see the status quo. Its the conferences and their networks that are driving this.

[007]

Originally Posted by BmoreBills

Kansas, Iowa State and Missouri should come to the Big Ten. We really need more of a midwest representation to combat the Pac 12/14/16 menace :P

http://www.big12hoops.com/2011/8/11/...west-longhorns

If we are going to 4 super conferences then the Big 10 is the best place for them.

[DenverChief]

this shit is getting old - shit or get off the fucking pot - So damn tired of all this

[RustShack]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Iowa State is a great fit as long as the B!G isn't concerned with having a school that is good at football, good at basketball, good at academics, or expanding the conference's footprint.

Are you talking about currently or history? Because Iowa State has a good football team this year, will have a good basketball team this year, are good in academics, and Iowa wont be the first team in the B1G to have two schools.

Iowa State is actually a perfect fit in every way except for the TV market, but Iowa wouldn't be the first school to have two teams in the same conference. Plus if Texas and ND do go to the B1G its not like they are going to be losing money in this situation.

Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads fresh off his latest conquest, got the worthiness query. Somehow, a program that just defeated Iowa-and one that is averaging more fans at home this season than eight schools in the Pac-12, seven in the ACC, five in the Big Ten, plus Oklahoma State and Texas Tech-doesn't cut muster in the major-college football world.
"We have so much to offer," Rhoads said. "Our first two games, the atmosphere and the environment in Jack Trice Stadium have just been electric. But that's just the football program. The rest of our athletic department, not to mention what we are as a top academic university...."

These are home attendances:

ISU: 56,085
Oklahoma State: 54,654
Texas Tech: 51,792
KSU: 50,292
KU: 48,084
Baylor: 43,753

Iowa State is a lot more respected than you "other fans" want to believe. Bowl representatives love ISU. Iowa State travels well. It adds pretty big conference games for Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Potentially for schools like Illinois and Wisconsin also. Its another game close in the midwest for opposing schools to travel too and vise versa.