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 DJ's left nut

Good call on deleting that one, Pants.

It was Wickeson-esque in its logic; borderline Stewie in nature.

MU fans are even disappointed in the basketball attendance right now, but that's just the way it is. We're not a basketball school, it's not a blue-blood basketball program and folks just aren't going to drive from KC and STL to see them play a weak-sister on a Wednesday.

It's annoying, but your 'point', such as it was, was pretty damn stupid.

Ehh, it was what it was. MU fans are terrible and the players know it and they have expressed their feelings on the subject. There are no baketball/football schools, there are just schools, fans and students. Alabama was filling their basketball arena FFS.

[Mr. Plow]

Originally Posted by Pants

The funniest part was Saul Good saying that people don't want to travel to Columbia for a bball game only for the fans to post abysmal attendance numbers in KC.

Columbia, much like Kansas City must just be a Kansas town.

I'd honestly expect KU to have better KC #'s than MU because of how close Lawrence is - but what got me going WTF was seeing the attendance for games in Columbia for a top 15 team.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by Pants

The funniest part was Saul Good saying that people don't want to travel to Columbia for a bball game only for the fans to post abysmal attendance numbers in KC.

Columbia, much like Kansas City must just be a Kansas town.

I've never been to Columbia. Is it fun?

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

Well provided they have a state of 8 million people and Kansas has less than 3 million and has to split their fanbase with another BCS level institution I would hope mu could get a couple more fans out to the games.

They're a state of 8 million people with 6 professional sports teams and 2 major metropolitan areas that provide a hell of a lot of options for finite entertainment dollars.

Kansans, on the other hand, define themselves by their basketball team.

Nobody's ever argued that KU fans aren't more rabid over basketball than MU fans. They undeniably are.

The problem is that KU Basketball is pretty much all that God-forsaken state has going for it.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by Mr. Plow

I'd honestly expect KU to have better KC #'s than MU because of how close Lawrence is - but what got me going WTF was seeing the attendance for games in Columbia for a top 15 team.

All the fans are packing for Shrevport?

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

They're a state of 8 million people with 6 professional sports teams and 2 major metropolitan areas that provide a hell of a lot of options for finite entertainment dollars.

Kansans, on the other hand, define themselves by their basketball team.

Nobody's ever argued that KU fans aren't more rabid over basketball than MU fans. They undeniably are.

The problem is that KU Basketball is pretty much all that God-forsaken state has going for it.

You don't think Kansas fans are distracted by the professional teams in Kansas City?

[Pants]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

I've never been to Columbia. Is it fun?

I've only been there for KU football games and those were in late fall so the town seemed really ugly to me. It's a college town, though, so of course it's fun.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Pants

Ehh, it was what it was. MU fans are terrible and the players know it and they have expressed their feelings on the subject. There are no baketball/football schools, there are just schools, fans and students. Alabama was filling their basketball arena FFS.

Huh?

Don't you fellas call yourselves a basketball school all the damn time?

And Mizzou was filling its arena last year as well; we ended up in the top 40 I believe in National attendance last season.

Annually, Mizzou does a nice job with attendance. Everyone's kinda puzzled about the low turnout right now, but it's pretty novel.

MU fans are historically very good and they will be good again. I think folks are still just shaking off the 'pissed' over the entire offseason with the basketball program, from Suitcase Mike to the coaching debacle.

It will come around; it always has.

But keep on running nonsensical 'fansmack' if it makes you feel any better. It really is about the only thing you fellas have going for you right now.

I mean apart from reminding us how little you care about us and all...

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Pants

The funniest part was Saul Good saying that people don't want to travel to Columbia for a bball game only for the fans to post abysmal attendance numbers in KC.

Columbia, much like Kansas City must just be a Kansas town.

Columbia is a two hour trip from Kansas City. People from KC don't tend to drive 2 hours to watch the Tigers play basketball games against cupcakes on a Tuesday during football season.

Using the transitive property, Kansas City is the same 2 hour distance from Columbia, and the same holds true.

I guess when you're 0-2 in Kansas City while the other local teams are 4-0, pointing to attendance numbers of other schools while excusing the fact that your own school put 6,000 fans in Arrowhead makes more sense than comparing scoreboards.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

I was one of 40,000 who enjoyed watching them win at Arrowhead and one of 22,000 who enjoyed watching them win at the Sprint Center. Thanks

Shreveport anyone?

[Pants]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

They're a state of 8 million people with 6 professional sports teams and 2 major metropolitan areas that provide a hell of a lot of options for finite entertainment dollars.

Kansans, on the other hand, define themselves by their basketball team.

Nobody's ever argued that KU fans aren't more rabid over basketball than MU fans. They undeniably are.

The problem is that KU Basketball is pretty much all that God-forsaken state has going for it.

Ahhh, but of course... we have better things to do excuse.

[Mr_Tomahawk]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

I guess when you're 0-2 in Kansas City while the other local teams are 4-0, pointing to attendance numbers of other schools while excusing the fact that your own school put 6,000 fans in Arrowhead makes more sense than comparing scoreboards.

Why are you so butt hurt over the name of a metropolitan area?

[Pants]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Columbia is a two hour trip from Kansas City. People from KC don't tend to drive 2 hours to watch the Tigers play basketball games against cupcakes on a Tuesday during football season.

Using the transitive property, Kansas City is the same 2 hour distance from Columbia, and the same holds true.

I guess when you're 0-2 in Kansas City while the other local teams are 4-0, pointing to attendance numbers of other schools while excusing the fact that your own school put 6,000 fans in Arrowhead makes more sense than comparing scoreboards.

We'll compare scoreboards after we play each other, I see no reason to compare anything at this point. And I wasn't taking about other schools, I was only talking about the shitty MU fans. KSU fasns have been good about supporting their school since OBZ first made his way over there.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

The problem is that KU Basketball is pretty much all that God-forsaken state has going for it.

That's not true. Parts of Kansas are very close to Kansas City, Missouri which is pretty much the best part about Kansas.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Columbia is a two hour trip from Kansas City. People from KC don't tend to drive 2 hours to watch the Tigers play basketball games against cupcakes on a Tuesday during football season.

Using the transitive property, Kansas City is the same 2 hour distance from Columbia, and the same holds true.

I guess when you're 0-2 in Kansas City while the other local teams are 4-0, pointing to attendance numbers of other schools while excusing the fact that your own school put 6,000 fans in Arrowhead makes more sense than comparing scoreboards.

Blah blah blah. KU had more fans in freaking Hawaii than MU did in Columbia.