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.

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by eazyb81

, that shit team would curbstomp your guys. You are the most clueless troll on the board.

Seriously. A KU fan talking crap on a (as of yesterday) top-10 tean.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by eazyb81

, that shit team would curbstomp your guys. You are the most clueless troll on the board.

what?

I don't hear KU talking any shit.

They are a couple years from getting back to the BCS. Everyone knows that.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

Seriously. A KU fan talking crap on a (as of yesterday) top-10 tean.

Eh, your conference is taking in a sub par football program.

3-12 in the last 20 years in bowl games...

Stellar.

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

Eh, your conference is taking in a sub par football program.

3-12 in the last 20 years in bowl games...

Stellar.

A program that will get better in a stronger conference not containing UT.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

A program that will get better in a stronger conference not containing UT.

I'm not convinced this is the case. We'll see how they look 6 or 7 years from now. This is all my hunch and opinion, not based on any scientific study. Anyway, my impression is:

Kids in the deep south and FL either stay in the deep south and FL or they want to go far away to CA or something. They don't often go to Texas. Kids in Texas either go to UT/OU, or they go to a Big 12 team with a chip on their shoulder to play against OU/UT. To a much lesser extent, some might grow up wanting to be Aggies, but Texas A&M wont be able to tap into that "I'll show those damned longhorns that they made a mistake" recruiting line anymore, now they play against deep south teams they never cared about, other than maybe Florida.

I wouldn't be surprised if by 2019 or so, Texas A&M sinks into an unremarkable football program. Not necessarily bad like Vandy or Kentucky, but not all that good either.

For all those issues, I do believe Texas A&M has a better chance to succeed in spite of all that than Mizzou, because at least they are in Texas and the pool may still be big enough without the UT rivalry. Missouri relies very heavily on Texas for their success. I don't see how the hell Missouri recruits in Texas if they are not in a conference with Texas, and no one worth a damn from, say Alabama and Mississippi wants to play in Missouri.

[kstater]

Originally Posted by alnorth

I wouldn't be surprised if by 2019 or so, Texas A&M sinks into an unremarkable football program. Not necessarily bad like Vandy or Kentucky, but not all that good either.

So about what they are now and what they've been? Let's not act like A&M has ever been great at football.

[tk13]

Originally Posted by alnorth

I'm not convinced this is the case. We'll see how they look 6 or 7 years from now. This is all my hunch and opinion, not based on any scientific study. Anyway, my impression is:

Kids in the deep south and FL either stay in the deep south and FL or they want to go far away to CA or something. They don't often go to Texas. Kids in Texas either go to UT/OU, or they go to a Big 12 team with a chip on their shoulder to play against OU/UT. To a much lesser extent, some might grow up wanting to be Aggies, but Texas A&M wont be able to tap into that "I'll show those damned longhorns that they made a mistake" recruiting line anymore, now they play against deep south teams they never cared about, other than maybe Florida.

I wouldn't be surprised if by 2019 or so, Texas A&M sinks into an unremarkable football program. Not necessarily bad like Vandy or Kentucky, but not all that good either.

For all those issues, I do believe Texas A&M has a better chance to succeed in spite of all that than Mizzou, because at least they are in Texas and the pool may still be big enough without the UT rivalry. Missouri relies very heavily on Texas for their success. I don't see how the hell Missouri recruits in Texas if they are not in a conference with Texas, and no one worth a damn from, say Alabama and Mississippi wants to play in Missouri.

You guys are basically grasping at straws at this point. If they were going to the Big East, that probably would have a lot of merit. But I can't get into the arguments from the other conferences that going to the SEC is going to hurt someone's recruiting. All they have to say is "the SEC sends more players to the NFL than any other conference." Blammo. I'm sure they might lose a kid here and there that really wants to play a lot of games in Texas, but it's not like elite high school kids are going to say "Pssht, I'm too good for the SEC."

[alnorth]

If I'm a Texas legislator representing College Station, I'd start lobbying my colleagues to pass a bill requiring UT and TA&M to play each other every year in football and basketball, just like they do in Iowa.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by tk13

All they have to say is "the SEC sends more players to the NFL than any other conference."

That line doesn't work now because the SEC doesn't recruit well in Texas.

Texas A&M isn't going to open that door for them, and to the extent that a random odd Texas kid wants to play in the SEC, I believe that Mizzou would be pretty far down the list. The Tigers probably won't ever suck for a prolonged period of time because Missouri is a very large state with only one in-state BCS school, but it will be a little more difficult.

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by alnorth

That line doesn't work now because the SEC doesn't recruit well in Texas.

Texas A&M isn't going to open that door for them, and to the extent that a random odd Texas kid wants to play in the SEC, I believe that Mizzou would be pretty far down the list. The Tigers probably won't ever suck for a prolonged period of time because Missouri is a very large state with only one in-state BCS school, but it will be a little more difficult.

Yes it will. They'll be able to say you can come play in the best conference, have the highest chance of getting drafted into the NFL, and now you'll have your games televised in Texas and get to play there in front of friends and family.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by alnorth

If I'm a Texas legislator representing College Station, I'd start lobbying my colleagues to pass a bill requiring UT and TA&M to play each other every year in football and basketball, just like they do in Iowa.

Good thing you just play a know it all on the internet.

[RustShack]

Originally Posted by alnorth

That line doesn't work now because the SEC doesn't recruit well in Texas.

Texas A&M isn't going to open that door for them, and to the extent that a random odd Texas kid wants to play in the SEC, I believe that Mizzou would be pretty far down the list. The Tigers probably won't ever suck for a prolonged period of time because Missouri is a very large state with only one in-state BCS school, but it will be a little more difficult.

[eazyb81]

Looks like A&M to the SEC is now official or will be official shortly. Hopefully Mizzou makes a decision this week and we can all move forward.

@billyliucci
Billy Liucci
A&M to SEC? Sounds like the official announcement is (finally) coming today.

@billyliucci
Billy Liucci
A&M is now a member of THE nation's most prestigious and dominant league: The Southeastern Conference. A defining moment in Aggie history

[mnchiefsguy]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

what?

I don't hear KU talking any shit.

They are a couple years from getting back to the BCS. Everyone knows that.

This has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. KU a couple of years from the BCS? That is a full reerun statement if I have ever heard one.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by mnchiefsguy

This has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. KU a couple of years from the BCS? That is a full reerun statement if I have ever heard one.

huh?

They were winning in the BCS less than 5 years ago.

Why can't they go win it again?