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.

[sedated]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

I don't understand why other schools didn't make more of an attempt to jump ship when Mizzou, A&M, Neb, and CO left. They had to know that TX and OK were going to bolt at some point in the near future.

I can only guess that the grant of rights (security) and the big payday (that only needed to be split 10 ways) was a big factor.

Or they thought that Texas had such a sweet deal controlling an entire conference that they would never leave.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by sedated

One thing I don't get about the expansion rumors is why none of the Texas schools have been mentioned. Baylor and TCU I can sort of get because of the religious factor, but Texas has always been the main goal for expansion so having all the Texas schools out there (and add Houston to make an even 4) seems strange. That group could be a pretty major haul for a conference.

Because none of them outright dominate a television market.

[TechMahomes]

We hope and pray that Patrick Mahomes will help to keep Texas Tech in a P5 conference. That's all I ask.

[RustShack]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Didn't see it mentioned here, but read on The Athletic that OU and Texas still have voting rights in the B12 if they were to vote on expansion.

That’s false, they do not.

[sedated]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Because none of them outright dominate a television market.

Rutgers doesn't dominate shit but if they got in purely because of "NY" then why wouldn't Houston or Dallas/FW?

(that's aside from the fact that television market is an antiquated way to think about it this time around)

[RustShack]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

I don't understand why other schools didn't make more of an attempt to jump ship when Mizzou, A&M, Neb, and CO left. They had to know that TX and OK were going to bolt at some point in the near future.

I’m glad they didn’t. Last time around Iowa States home was the Big East or Big12. This time around it’s the B1G, PAC, or weird Big12 that’s neither P4 nor G5.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by RustShack

That’s false, they do not.

Source?

I did some light Googling earlier and didn't find anything else on it... and it makes sense that as long as they're in the B12, they would have to basically waive their right to a vote or something along those lines unless there's specific verbiage around them being nullified with an acceptance to another conference (which of course would be ideal).

[RustShack]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Source?

I did some light Googling earlier and didn't find anything else on it... and it makes sense that as long as they're in the B12, they would have to basically waive their right to a vote or something along those lines unless there's specific verbiage around them being nullified with an acceptance to another conference (which of course would be ideal).

I’m not going to spend time looking for it, but I saw multiple people the week it officially happened report it. Whatever section of the bylaws.

[RustShack]

But in some wild scenario where that were true, OuuT wouldn’t vote to expand, they’d vote to dissolve which would only happen if each conference goes to 16 which would pass with or without OuuT.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Didn't see it mentioned here, but read on The Athletic that OU and Texas still have voting rights in the B12 if they were to vote on expansion.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Originally Posted by sedated

JFC

I wouldn't be surprised at this point if Texas insisted that was added to the grant of rights.Its almost like their intentional goal has been to destroy the Big 12 for the last 20 years.

BINGO!

YES!

THIS GUY GETS IT!

That’s why NO ONE in the Big 12 should be butthurt towards Mizzou, Nebraska for leaving the conference when they did so many years ago. They knew what was coming with Texas and got out when they could still control their own destiny.

Mizzou would be screwed right now and looking at a lesser Tier 2 conference when the Big 12 eventually breaks up if they had stuck around in the Big Texas conference.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by sedated

Rutgers doesn't dominate shit but if they got in purely because of "NY" then why wouldn't Houston or Dallas/FW?

(that's aside from the fact that television market is an antiquated way to think about it this time around)

Becasue Buttgers is the state U of New Jersey, which has 10 million people. The BIG was able to get full cable carriage in that state plus some level of carriage from the NYC metro, making that addition a moneymaker for the other schools.


None of that applies to TCU or SMU or Houston.

[RustShack]

This just popped up on Twitter and I hadn’t seen it. Nebraska’s mascot after they changed their name from the Bugeaters?

[displacedinMN]

Quote:
Originally Posted by sedated View Post
JFC

I wouldn't be surprised at this point if Texas insisted that was added to the grant of rights.Its almost like their intentional goal has been to destroy the Big 12 for the last 20 years.
BINGO!

YES!

THIS GUY GETS IT!

That’s why NO ONE in the Big 12 should be butthurt towards Mizzou, Nebraska for leaving the conference when they did so many years ago. They knew what was coming with Texas and got out when they could still control their own destiny.

Mizzou would be screwed right now and looking at a lesser Tier 2 conference when the Big 12 eventually breaks up if they had stuck around in the Big Texas conference.

[/QUOTE]

Just more reason to hate Texas.

[ChiefaRoo]

KU can try and get into the American Conference as long as Navy doesn’t object on the grounds that their Football program will lower the quality of play in the league.