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.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Colorado and Nebraska both left the B12 before Mizzou and A&M did.

Texas was also the cause of the instability due to the LHN.

This is correct. LHN was the big reason why.

[MarkDavis'Haircut]

Originally Posted by tredadda

Almost has to be, at least from an athletics perspective. Arizona and ASU are the only other two that would be possible. Stanford academically would be a great fit. Cal culturally would be an absolutely awful fit.

Culturally, Colorado and Boulder are California based. It is why they left in the first place. But when the Pac 12 is negotiating with the CW, culture suddenly doesn't matter as much moolah.

[Rams Fan]

Gundy is 9-9 vs Texas all time and was complaining about the LHN.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/okla...161512408.html

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy had some choice words for the Longhorn Network, calling it a failure and stressing Texas needed to eliminate the network for the good of the rest of the Big 12.

Gundy wants the Big 12 to create a Big 12 Network, which would allow the conference to market itself better and reap financial benefits similar to the SEC Network or Big Ten Network.

“If we don't eliminate the Longhorn Network and create our own network, they're going to continue to have issues with this league,” Gundy told CBS Sports. “You don’t have a Big 12 Network; you have a network within the league that people consider a failure.”

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by MarkDavis'Haircut

California and Stanford are holding out for the Big 10.

Silly as it, university presidents also have a large say in realignment and to be president of Cal is the dream of every university president.

Cal is going to be the next Rutgers of the undeserving bid.

Berkley's athletic department is in the red big time and I believe UCLA, as part of their agreement to join the B1G, is supposed to subsidize Berkley's athletic department with millions for the upcoming future.

Stanford is one of the best athletic departments in the country (football and basketball withstanding recently). I believe they have won a NCAA awarded team sport championship every year dating back to the 70's.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

Big 8 basketball saturdays was the best ever

Originally Posted by BWillie

Brought to you by Phillips 66

Oh man, best days ever.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by Coach

This is correct. LHN was the big reason why.

Not saying realignment doesn't happen if the LHN is never allowed to exist by the B12, but, I don't think Mizzou and A&M leave that soon.

Nebraska probably does because of the $$$ they can get from the B1G and Colorado might because the P12 is better fit geographically.

[displacedinMN]

As much as the Pacific writers have looked down on the Big Ten over the years (Rose Bowl losses), it amazes me the Pac10 is dissolving and hoping the Big Ten will bail them out.

[MarkDavis'Haircut]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

As much as the Pacific writers have looked down on the Big Ten over the years (Rose Bowl losses), it amazes me the Pac10 is dissolving and hoping the Big Ten will bail them out.

All the PAC 12 had to do was take Texas and Oklahoma's friends a decade ago and they would be fine. And grab BYU.

But no, the academic snobs couldn't stomach it. Good riddance.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Not saying realignment doesn't happen if the LHN is never allowed to exist by the B12, but, I don't think Mizzou and A&M leave that soon.

Nebraska probably does because of the $$$ they can get from the B1G and Colorado might because the P12 is better fit geographically.

Colorado in terms of geographically, I can understand that. But they were the original Big 6 team with the teams in the Midwest and have forged a lot of history.

Plus Pac12 downfall is not because of the UCLA/USC leaving, it also has to do with the piss poor Pac12 network, which is like similar to the LTN. And don't get me started on their attendances, as it has been poor.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by MarkDavis'Haircut

All the PAC 12 had to do was take Texas and Oklahoma's friends a decade ago and they would be fine. And grab BYU.

But no, the academic snobs couldn't stomach it. Good riddance.

And therefore, lies the issue on the Pac12.

They still insist the academic stuff is the big importance.

Networks/TV/fans do not see that way.

Pac-12 has had multiple opportunities to end the Big 12, yet here we are with the Big 12 trying to land a Clubber Lang knockout punch before the end of the round.

[Al Czervik]

Originally Posted by kstater

https://twitter.com/PowercatRyan/sta...QJyg35unA&s=19

Sent from my SM-S906U1 using Tapatalk

LOL
I like this one better....

https://www.nbcsportswashington.com/...-title/188783/

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by Coach

Colorado in terms of geographically, I can understand that. But they were the original Big 6 team with the teams in the Midwest and have forged a lot of history.

Plus Pac12 downfall is not because of the UCLA/USC leaving, it also has to do with the piss poor Pac12 network, which is like similar to the LTN. And don't get me started on their attendances, as it has been poor.

Yeah, Pac 12's issue is their former commissioner ****ed up their media deals and was forced out in 2021 by the schools as a result.

UCLA/USC saw the writing on the wall and dipped accordingly. The only schools that may be worth a shit in terms of $ are Washington, Arizona St., Arizona, and Oregon.

Washington St. and Oregon St. are absolutely ****ed and Berkley's athletic department is a mess financially. Curious to see what happens with Utah.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by MarkDavis'Haircut

California and Stanford are holding out for the Big 10.

Silly as it, university presidents also have a large say in realignment and to be president of Cal is the dream of every university president.

Cal is going to be the next Rutgers of the undeserving bid.

I think Cal and Stanford are going to have to either go independent (very unlikely because they are in the red) or have to drop some sports and join a different lower tier G5 conference to help themselves to get their fiscal issues resolved.

B1G doesn't really see the value Cal or Stanford bring to the table, IMHO.

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Mizzou's flirtation began when the B1G announced it was expanding in December 2009. Nebraska was approved to join the B1G in June 2010, as well as Colorado with the P12.

Those dates confirm what I said. Thank you.

Ah, so Oklahoma, Texas' biggest rival and arguably the most successful B12/B8 football team, didn't have a problem with the LHN? That is simply false.




https://www.oklahoman.com/story/spor...k/61139605007/

Oklahoma had such a problem with it that they were the only other school in the B12, until 2022, to have their Tier 3 media rights be separate from the rest of the conference outside of Texas.

Just as states, Texas and Oklahoma hate each other, their universities are no different, constantly bickering like jilted lovers. In fact, it is only fitting that in this mutually abusive relationship UT and OU are going hand in hand to the SEC.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Yeah, Pac 12's issue is their former commissioner ****ed up their media deals and was forced out in 2021 by the schools as a result.

UCLA/USC saw the writing on the wall and dipped accordingly. The only schools that may be worth a shit in terms of $ are Washington, Arizona St., Arizona, and Oregon.

Washington St. and Oregon St. are absolutely ****ed and Berkley's athletic department is a mess financially.

Yeah, we're seeing eye-to-eye in this situation. Maybe a little slightly different in some respects but pretty much nailed on the head.

And you're not wrong, WSU and OSU are screwed.