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.

[MarkDavis'Haircut]

Originally Posted by Coach

Sources: The Big 12’s presidents and chancellors voted unanimously Wednesday night on a conference call to accept Colorado as a new member. Colorado still has not formally applied for Big 12 membership, which is expected to happen tomorrow.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 27, 2023

It is a done deal. This stuff isn't leaked until it is 100% guaranteed.

[Chiefspants]

I feel like this has to be the first domino of several more to fall in the coming weeks. The PAC 12 has looked like one jenga block away from collapse for the past year.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

From an academic perspective, I don't see Cal or Stanford liking to be affiliated with the likes of SDSU, Boise St., Fresno St. either.

They have to pray they get a B1G invite or I think they'll go independent.

The Ivy League can always expand and have a western league to suck at sports.

[MarkDavis'Haircut]

Malcor,

If you take umbrage with my theories, come out and debate them .

[MarkDavis'Haircut]

Originally Posted by BWillie

The Ivy League can always expand and have a western league to suck at sports.

The Ivy League isn't expanding and Cal/Stanford aren't dropping their football to the FCS level.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

Looks like it’s happening…

Colorado leaving Pac-12 to return to Big 12 in 2024, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. CU will receive full Big 12 share ($31.7M) from ESPN/Fox media deal. Buffs left because of Big 12 stability & Pac-12’s uncertainty, sources said. Announcement Thursdayhttps://t.co/IOo8LWAuTF pic.twitter.com/4Ilq91C0EO

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 26, 2023

The Big 8 is back baby - kind of.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by Coach

Sources: The Big 12’s presidents and chancellors voted unanimously Wednesday night on a conference call to accept Colorado as a new member. Colorado still has not formally applied for Big 12 membership, which is expected to happen tomorrow.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 27, 2023

It’s weird that Oklahoma and Texas get to have a vote in this process, considering they will be in a competing conference in 12 months.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

It’s weird that Oklahoma and Texas get to have a vote in this process, considering they will be in a competing conference in 12 months.

Wouldn't they just vote know to throw a wrench into the Big 12?

[WilliamTheIrish]

After all that shit a decade ago, I’m glad the 12 is on the right side of it today.

[WilliamTheIrish]

pic.twitter.com/S1126WILrG

— no context


college football (@nocontextcfb) July 26, 2023

[tredadda]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Money talks.

Correct, but what does GT bring? I could see if UGA wasn't already in the SEC as GT could probably bring in the state of Georgia and Atlanta.

[WilliamTheIrish]

It looks to me like UC Berkeley is in for a rough ride. Those stadium renovations did nothing for them financially.

The university had to take on $230m of the Cal athletics debt back in 2018.

The first involves hiring Collegiate Sports Associates, or CSA, a sports consulting and search firm, to assist Cal Athletics with cutting costs and generating revenue. Led by Bradley Bates, CSA vice president of consulting and former Boston College athletic director, the firm’s services will cost the campus $75,000 plus expenses — costs that will be covered by private donors.

Marts & Lundy, a philanthropy consultant, will review Cal’s fundraising as the second part of this plan. The third and final step is a peer review group composed of two current or former athletic directors, a fundraiser, a financial specialist and a Title IX expert.

Despite the steps, UC Berkeley and the athletic department may need a century to pay off the debt. The annual payments will be $18 million per year until 2032 before leaping to $26 million per year. The peak will arrive in 2039 at $37 million per year, and Cal’s loan extends to 2112, according to Bloomberg.

“The easy thing to do is to let athletics proceed with a budget that looks like there’s a minimal investment from the campus, run this continuing deficit and then have a bailout at the end of the year,” Christ said.

They’re kinda ****ed.

[tredadda]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

I feel like this has to be the first domino of several more to fall in the coming weeks. The PAC 12 has looked like one jenga block away from collapse for the past year.

The PAC-12 was in huge trouble when USC and UCLA decided to jump ship. They lost their most prestigious FB program and BB program. Hard to absorb those losses when geographically they have no place to expand. At least the Big-12 and Big-10 can expand east and west relatively easily. Who is still out there that would bring any value to the Pac-12? Should be interesting to see if they survive this.

[Woogieman]

Screw Colorado...if you are the big 10, aren't you going after Oregon and Washington? Highly unlikely get, but your horrible footprint already goes from WV to Utah, so why not? Grab Cal and Stanford too to even out the rummies in Cincinnati and Houston. What an utter cluster**** Texas has caused.

[ROYC75]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

It’s weird that Oklahoma and Texas get to have a vote in this process, considering they will be in a competing conference in 12 months.

UT & OU was left out of this vote! Their vote is not valid since in 2024 they will be in a competing conference
.