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.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by WilliamTheIrish

We'll (You'll) know after next season. Maybe there's another Harbaugh out there.

We can probably lure him away form the 49ers.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Pants

Yeah, this is why I hope our next hire is better than Turner Gill.

This brings up a TCU question. Why would KU, ISU, KSU, andy Baylor agree to let in TCU? If the realignment to 4 16s happens, TCU would possibly have been behind all of you in the pecking order. Now they may be ahead of all of you. Also, you just let another Texas team into your conference, and you won't be able to beat them out for head-to-head recruits, as you ceded to them your competitive advantage.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

This brings up a TCU question. Why would KU, ISU, KSU, andy Baylor agree to let in TCU? If the realignment to 4 16s happens, TCU would possibly have been behind all of you in the pecking order. Now they may be ahead of all of you. Also, you just let another Texas team into your conference, and you won't be able to beat them out for head-to-head recruits, as you ceded to them your competitive advantage.

I think the line of thinking there was conference stability.

[Mr. Plow]

Originally Posted by eazyb81

Yeah, it is a hard sport that every school pours the majority of their resources in. It is fun to have exciting games, winning seasons, and play in bowl games, instead of being a national punchline for the sport.

I'd love to have a winning football program. I'm aware it's the "important" sport. I'll take what I can get right now though. Which is a secondary team that has exciting games, winning seasons, conference championships, and is in the national title conversation nearly every single year.

I know KU was picked to finish last in the conference this year in football, but at least we've got some company right now. Hopefully a good head coach hire will get the football program headed in the right direction. We'll just have to wait and see. Until then, we'll just have to tide ourselves over with our secondary team.

[Braincase]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

This brings up a TCU question. Why would KU, ISU, KSU, andy Baylor agree to let in TCU? If the realignment to 4 16s happens, TCU would possibly have been behind all of you in the pecking order. Now they may be ahead of all of you. Also, you just let another Texas team into your conference, and you won't be able to beat them out for head-to-head recruits, as you ceded to them your competitive advantage.

Just to piss Mizzou off, same reason the conference does anything.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by Mr. Plow

I'd love to have a winning football program. I'm aware it's the "important" sport. I'll take what I can get right now though. Which is a secondary team that has exciting games, winning seasons, conference championships, and is in the national title conversation nearly every single year.

I know KU was picked to finish last in the conference this year in football, but at least we've got some company right now. Hopefully a good head coach hire will get the football program headed in the right direction. We'll just have to wait and see. Until then, we'll just have to tide ourselves over with our secondary team.

Nobody talks about "premier" and secondary sports when CBB is on ESPN all the time during the winter. The only people who constantly bring that up are the MU fans on CP.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

This brings up a TCU question. Why would KU, ISU, KSU, andy Baylor agree to let in TCU? If the realignment to 4 16s happens, TCU would possibly have been behind all of you in the pecking order. Now they may be ahead of all of you. Also, you just let another Texas team into your conference, and you won't be able to beat them out for head-to-head recruits, as you ceded to them your competitive advantage.

Well, since the realignment to 4 16-team conferences is an internet pipe dream that will never happen, it is not a concern.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Pants

Nobody talks about "premier" and secondary sports when CBB is on ESPN all the time during the winter. The only people who constantly bring that up are the MU fans on CP.

And only in the past few years, ever since that one game against Memphis... weird.

[WilliamTheIrish]

Algorithm time.

It will need secondary sport modifications.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Well, since the realignment to 4 16-team conferences is an internet pipe dream that will never happen, it is not a concern.

I don't see how you can come to that conclusion.

The PAC has expanded to 12 and was close to expanding to 16.
The SEC has expanded to 13 and appears ready to go to 14.
The B1G has expanded to 12 and would love to expand with ND.
The ACC has expanded to 14.

The 4 assumed superconferences have already expanded from 45 members to 51 members. That much we know. We also know that Missouri, West Virginia, and now Rutgers are seriously exploring options within those conferences. That could bring us to 54.

Now remember that Texas, Tech, OU, and oSu would like to go to the PAC. That's 58.

Notre Dame would be 59, and they would bring a partner which would make 60.

It is very easy to see a scenario involving a 16 team PAC, a 14 team B1G, a 16 team ACC, and a 14 team SEC within the next 12-24 months. If that happens, the SEC anf B1G round out their conferences with 2 more teams, and that's that.

[Old Dog]

I don't see any reasonable expansion to those four 16-team conferences where KU would have much to worry about.

My Wildcats are another story altogether, but we can only really play the hand we've been dealt.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by Pants

Nobody talks about "premier" and secondary sports when CBB is on ESPN all the time during the winter. The only people who constantly bring that up are the MU fans on CP.

Mostly because they can't compete, so the sport is insignificant. Let the Tigers have a good season, then it suddenly becomes relevant.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by truebigdog

I don't see any reasonable expansion to those four 16-team conferences where KU would have much to worry about.

My Wildcats are another story altogether, but we can only really play the hand we've been dealt.

OU, oSu, Tex, and Tech to the PAC.
Cincy and Louisville to the ACC.
Mizzou, WVU, and TCU to the SEC.
Rutgers and Notre Dame to the B1G.

That leaves 2 spots in the B1G with BYU, KU, KSU, Baylor, UCONN, Boston College, South Florida, Central Florida, Boise State, and Iowa State trying to get a spot.

A wrench in those works would be if Rutgers and Mizzou went to the B1G, and WVU was the 14th in the SEC.

That would leave 1 spot in the B1G and 1 in the SEC. KU will not wind up in the SEC. They could easily be left out in that scenario.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Mostly because they can't compete, so the sport is insignificant. Let the Tigers have a good season, then it suddenly becomes relevant.

Well, the flip side to that is when it's the ONLY THING YOU'VE GOT, you tend to value it more than others do. Sort of like Iowa and wrestling.

And ESPN would pimp bingo if they thought they'd make any money airing it.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by frazod

Well, the flip side to that is when it's the ONLY THING YOU'VE GOT, you tend to value it more than others do. Sort of like Iowa and wrestling.

This is true. We value it a lot.

Originally Posted by frazod

And ESPN would pimp bingo if they thought they'd make any money airing it.

Well, they don't because it doesn't. The point is that basketball is on national television a lot (not just ESPN) which means it's probably rather popular.