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.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by kepp

I heard some of that interview. They spent the entire time (that I heard) trying to "prove" that Mizzou would gain nothing from the move and that we had miscalculated everything.

Neinas comes off as a buffoon every time I hear him speak.

He made a lot out of the existing 10 in the Big 12 not seeing any fits for expansion that were "worth it."

He's woefully uninformed about the Big Ten network and has his head in the sand regarding a potential SEC network.

Here's the latest from Outkick the Coverage on a potential SEC Network and its value.

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by RustShack

We've been better every year since I started saying that. And next year isn't going to be any different. Your school bitched out at the right time.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Neinas comes off as a buffoon every time I hear him speak.

He made a lot out of the existing 10 in the Big 12 not seeing any fits for expansion that were "worth it."

He's woefully uninformed about the Big Ten network and has his head in the sand regarding a potential SEC network.

Here's the latest from Outkick the Coverage on a potential SEC Network and its value.

Chuck just needs to stop talking about Mizzou. Everything he has said has turned out to be wrong. Is he still guaranteeing that Mizzou will play in the Big XII in the 2012 season?

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Chuck just needs to stop talking about Mizzou. Everything he has said has turned out to be wrong. Is he still guaranteeing that Mizzou will play in the Big XII in the 2012 season?

No, but he's now guaranteeing there will be 10 teams in league play in 2012-13...

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Wow.

I think conference pride is stupid (will never chant SEC, will never brag about how tough conference is, will never root for another conference school, just like I treat the Big 12), but that is a pretty badass logo, I must admit.

I think not having conference pride is stupid. It's kind of an 'Only I'm allowed to pick on them' type relationship. Maybe you'll start to realize it after some time in the SEC when you see other schools thinking they deserve a title shot yet they haven't played the type of gauntlet a SEC team goes through.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

I think not having conference pride is stupid. It's kind of an 'Only I'm allowed to pick on them' type relationship. Maybe you'll start to realize it after some time in the SEC when you see other schools thinking they deserve a title shot yet they haven't played the type of gauntlet a SEC team goes through.

Pretty sure I will never realize it.

I have always rooted for conference foes to lose every single game they play in nonconference situations. In conference games, I root for whatever is in best interest of my team. And if my team has no interest, I casually hope the team I hate less wins. And I hate all conference foes.

You will never hear me chant "SEC"

You will never hear me talk about the "SEC gauntlet." If the schedule breaks out particularly tough (like it did for Mizzou this year in the Big 12), you might hear something, but it won't be specific to "our conference."

I will root for your team (Florida) to lose every single game it plays now, in all sports (unless there's a vested interest for my team). Nothing personal, I think you're an awesome poster.

Conference pride is a substitute for being proud in one's own institution, IMO. I would rather stand on my school's achievement - even with the limitations that might bring with it - than ever talk about "conference" achievement like I had any part in it.

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Pretty sure I will never realize it.

I have always rooted for conference foes to lose every single game they play in nonconference situations. In conference games, I root for whatever is in best interest of my team. And if my team has no interest, I casually hope the team I hate less wins. And I hate all conference foes.

You will never hear me chant "SEC"

You will never hear me talk about the "SEC gauntlet." If the schedule breaks out particularly tough (like it did for Mizzou this year in the Big 12), you might hear something, but it won't be specific to "our conference."

I will root for your team (Florida) to lose every single game it plays now, in all sports (unless there's a vested interest for my team). Nothing personal, I think you're an awesome poster.

Conference pride is a substitute for being proud in one's own institution, IMO. I would rather stand on my school's achievement - even with the limitations that might bring with it - than ever talk about "conference" achievement like I had any part in it.

Disagree. IMO, conference pride is a complement to school pride. Your conference performing well against out-of-conference opponents improves and benefits your conference and, in turn, your team.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

Disagree. IMO, conference pride is a complement to school pride. Your conference performing well against out-of-conference opponents improves and benefits your conference and, in turn, your team.

I'm a bad conference mate, what can I say. It's all about me winning as much as possible and my conference foes (not partners, never partners) losing as much as possible.

My real name is Texas-Oklahoma, BTW...

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Pretty sure I will never realize it.

I have always rooted for conference foes to lose every single game they play in nonconference situations. In conference games, I root for whatever is in best interest of my team. And if my team has no interest, I casually hope the team I hate less wins. And I hate all conference foes.

You will never hear me chant "SEC"

You will never hear me talk about the "SEC gauntlet." If the schedule breaks out particularly tough (like it did for Mizzou this year in the Big 12), you might hear something, but it won't be specific to "our conference."

I will root for your team (Florida) to lose every single game it plays now, in all sports (unless there's a vested interest for my team). Nothing personal, I think you're an awesome poster.

Conference pride is a substitute for being proud in one's own institution, IMO. I would rather stand on my school's achievement - even with the limitations that might bring with it - than ever talk about "conference" achievement like I had any part in it.

The "go whatever conference I'm in" thing is definitely weird.

I guess it's kinda like the "USA, USA" chant.

I don't get it.

[DJ's left nut]

It seems a little more old-school to me.

My grandpa roots for everyone in the B1G, he's an Illinois guy. My dad roots for everyone in the IIX (or at least he used to; no idea what he'll do now).

I've always been closer to Duncan's POV - !@#$ everyone else in the conference unless it somehow makes us look better. Come bowl season, I would root for the IIX teams (except for KU, KU can always eat a dick, even if they're playing the Taliban). And if Mizzou was going to be playing a tough game, I'd prefer see that opponent be ranked to help our strength of win or loss (and hopefully not anger the opponent we were soon playing).

But that had nothing to do with pride in the conference, just wanting to see Mizzou's standing elevated.

We'll see if that changes in the SEC. I can say this - I already want Arkansas to lose every game it plays (it's amazing how easy that transition from KU to Arkansas is going to be; Petrino makes that one easy program to loathe) and I don't think I'll be sad to see LSU stumble here and there either.

[talastan]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It seems a little more old-school to me.

My grandpa roots for everyone in the B1G, he's an Illinois guy. My dad roots for everyone in the IIX (or at least he used to; no idea what he'll do now).

I've always been closer to Duncan's POV - !@#$ everyone else in the conference unless it somehow makes us look better. Come bowl season, I would root for the IIX teams (except for KU, KU can always eat a dick, even if they're playing the Taliban). And if Mizzou was going to be playing a tough game, I'd prefer see that opponent be ranked to help our strength of win or loss (and hopefully not anger the opponent we were soon playing).

But that had nothing to do with pride in the conference, just wanting to see Mizzou's standing elevated.

We'll see if that changes in the SEC. I can say this - I already want Arkansas to lose every game it plays (it's amazing how easy that transition from KU to Arkansas is going to be; Petrino makes that one easy program to loathe) and I don't think I'll be sad to see LSU stumble here and there either.

This especially when I've met Razorback fans that are already talking **** on us. If they get DGB as well I'll have more of a reason to hate the Arkytards. I want to see him stay in Missouri.

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

New Logo inside the athletic complex.

The company who does a lot of the athletic complex design work like at Mizzou hires me here and there for photo stuff. Hoping this SEC move means more business because that is a lot of design change. woot.

[rageeumr]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I can say this - I already want Arkansas to lose every game it plays (it's amazing how easy that transition from KU to Arkansas is going to be; Petrino makes that one easy program to loathe)

With Petrino and Anderson, I'm pretty sure I can drum up some Arky hate pretty easily.

[DaKCMan AP]

Don't get me wrong - there's no love lost. I despise Georgia, Tennessee, Bama, LSU, etc. However, when they're matched up against a joke school from the ACC/Big10/Pac12/etc then I want the SEC team to prevail.

[DaKCMan AP]

This is pretty good:


LSU updates Tiger Stadium for 2012 season