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.

[displacedinMN]

acc becomes the Bi-coastal conference

[tredadda]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

So does that leave Oregon State and Washington homeless at the moment?

Man - the friggen Pac 10 really just vanished. That's remarkable.

20 years ago that would've seemed as unlikely as the SEC imploding would be to us now.

It seems they are all that is left. Maybe they become the PAC-2. Guaranteed one of them will win the conference every year. Most likely though is they join the MWC. At this point no other conference wants them. The MWC snags two bigger name schools while WSU and Oregon State aren't left completely homeless.

[GloucesterChief]

Originally Posted by tredadda

It seems they are all that is left. Maybe they become the PAC-2. Guaranteed one of them will win the conference every year. Most likely though is they join the MWC. At this point no other conference wants them. The MWC snags two bigger name schools while WSU and Oregon State aren't left completely homeless.

It will be a merger where the MWC takes the Pac-12 name. Now, what happens to the remaining Pac-12 assets remains to be seen. The current belief is that OSU and WSU would own them all including future revenue shares generated by former members for stuff like tournaments.

So the MWC and Pac 12 merge to form the new PAC and probably grab UTSA, Gonzaga (basketball only), and another member like North Texas.

[DCTwister]

Can you imagine being on the ****in' softball or cross country team and having to travel from CA to NC/etc. for every ****ing game? **** that.
I feel for the kids in the non-revenue sports. I would fully favor having FB and MBB have a totally different conference structure than the non-revenue sports. But that would make too much sense.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by tredadda

Not sure why they did this as neither Cal or Stanford add anything to the ACC besides two more mouths to feed. SMU isn't getting anything for a while, so the ACC loses nothing adding them.

The ACC is on borrowed time… FSU, Clemson, Miami, UNC, Virginia, etc. will continue to look for a way out of the GOR and jump to the Big 10 or SEC as soon as the opportunity is available.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by GloucesterChief

It will be a merger where the MWC takes the Pac-12 name. Now, what happens to the remaining Pac-12 assets remains to be seen. The current belief is that OSU and WSU would own them all including future revenue shares generated by former members for stuff like tournaments.

So the MWC and Pac 12 merge to form the new PAC and probably grab UTSA, Gonzaga (basketball only), and another member like North Texas.

Even if that happens, we're still ****ed. We aren't going to have near the money and our good players and coaches are going to get poached by the power (now) 4 conference schools. Both schools are looking at large debts from recent stadium renovations, too. This whole thing ****ing sucks.

[GloucesterChief]

Originally Posted by Frosty

Even if that happens, we're still ****ed. We aren't going to have near the money and our good players and coaches are going to get poached by the power (now) 4 conference schools. Both schools are looking at large debts from recent stadium renovations, too. This whole thing ****ing sucks.

Left over Pac-12 assets and media shares are about 200 million. The conference as a legal entity with members just has to exist by Aug,1 2024.

So you create the new Pac conference.

Pac North:
WSU
OSU
Boise St
SJSU
Utah St
Wyoming
Colorado St
Nevada

Pac South:
SDSU
Fresno St
Hawaii (Football Only)
UNLV
Air Force
New Mexico
UTSA
One of North Texas, Rice, Tulane, UTEP, etc.

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by DCTwister

Can you imagine being on the ****in' softball or cross country team and having to travel from CA to NC/etc. for every ****ing game? **** that.
I feel for the kids in the non-revenue sports. I would fully favor having FB and MBB have a totally different conference structure than the non-revenue sports. But that would make too much sense.

Can you imagine being the coach of the softball or cross country team and trying to recruit?

Okay, you can offer a scholarship to a prestigious academic school but as a sought after athlete, I'm thinking twice, and thinking again about signing up for that crap traveling schedule.

[sedated]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

Can you imagine being the coach of the softball or cross country team and trying to recruit?

Okay, you can offer a scholarship to a prestigious academic school but as a sought after athlete, I'm thinking twice, and thinking again about signing up for that crap traveling schedule.

Don't the lower level sports do their own thing despite conference already?

Track and field has a different scheduling dynamic than football/basketball, but I looked at Kansas' schedule and there is nothing outside the midwest (Nebraska, Texas, Iowa, Arkansas). They did go to Stanford, though.

I don't know how softball scheduling works but noticed in last year's schedule they didn't go to West Virginia, maybe that was just coincidence.

[GloucesterChief]

Originally Posted by sedated

Don't the lower level sports do their own thing despite conference already?

Track and field has a different scheduling dynamic than football/basketball, but I looked at Kansas' schedule and there is nothing outside the midwest (Nebraska, Texas, Iowa, Arkansas). They did go to Stanford, though.

I don't know how softball scheduling works but noticed in last year's schedule they didn't go to West Virginia, maybe that was just coincidence.

As I understand it Track, Tennis, Rowing, Swimming, and maybe some other sports have Meets rather than a set amount of games and these tend to be more regional with many schools participating. It is soccer, baseball, basketball, softball, and volleyball that will bear the brunt of the schedule.

[tredadda]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

Can you imagine being the coach of the softball or cross country team and trying to recruit?

Okay, you can offer a scholarship to a prestigious academic school but as a sought after athlete, I'm thinking twice, and thinking again about signing up for that crap traveling schedule.

Considering post collegiate prospects for a career in softball and cross country I would jump on a scholarship to a Stanford or Cal in a heartbeat.

[FloridaMan88]

SMU won’t get any media rights fees from the ACC for NINE years.

The ACC won’t be in existence by then.

[RustShack]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

acc becomes the Bi-coastal conference

All Coasts Conference.

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by tredadda

Considering post collegiate prospects for a career in softball and cross country I would jump on a scholarship to a Stanford or Cal in a heartbeat.

And no doubt somebody will.

But for a dramatically reduced amount of travel, that scholarship to Duke is going to look mighty tempting for the top prospect...

[Old Dog]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

SMU won’t get any media rights fees from the ACC for NINE years.

The ACC won’t be in existence by then.

IF I am understanding it correctly the current ACC grant of rights runs through 2036 as long as they don't go below 12 teams, so it should. Who the hell knows at this point though.