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.

[eazyb81]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

I count quite a few BCS games and Final Fours up there.

The teams leaving brought us none of that.

Huggins and Pitino in the conference with a dash of BCS glory.

Makes Texas A&M's 13-19 all time bowl record not that tough to lose.

Someone has to win the Big East every year, right?

You are right on the Final Fours. Louisville would be a great basketball addition. Turning the Big 12 into a new version of the Big East that focuses more on basketball would be an ideal outcome for ku.

[tk13]

Louisville has been to like one Final Four in the last 25 years. Certainly brings a big name coach and a great basketball facility with them though.

[evenfall]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Why do you care if MU fans care whether KU fans care or not?

There are only a couple of MU fans who seem to care much, and most of that is rooted in the "Hahaha like the SEC would ever want you" from before, or things that are just silly like the assertion that the big 12 is stable or the money is better.

Everyone knows that anybody with a chute would be using it if we are honest. It's just the 11th hour for MU/KU as conference foes so people are getting their barbs in.

I won't miss the big 12. I will miss the frequent games with KU, but there will be new rivals and new people to hate.

I am confident the football game and a basketball game will happen. It will be played like Clemson and South Carolina every year, out of conference rivals that schedule each other because the money is so good. Despite what butthurt coaches might say, the money is big and the school will make the coach do the right thing for his institution instead of his ego. The basketball game will just be once a year, but eh.

I don't think it will change things that much. This is an important milestone in the demise of the Big IIX, but between Missouri and Kansas things won't change that much. And that is the only good thing about the Big IIX anyway.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by eazyb81

Nice, very nice.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Nice, very nice.

I was thinking it would make an excellent range target.

[tk13]

I think that article was interesting. If things were that tense before I'd love to see how tense they are now. Think of all the stuff Texas has done since then, especially since now even OU and OSU feel like Texas was trying to screw them over.

[evenfall]

Originally Posted by tk13

I think that article was interesting. If things were that tense before I'd love to see how tense they are now. Think of all the stuff Texas has done since then, especially since now even OU and OSU feel like Texas was trying to screw them over.

Indeed. With friends like these...

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by tk13

I think that article was interesting. If things were that tense before I'd love to see how tense they are now. Think of all the stuff Texas has done since then, especially since now even OU and OSU feel like Texas was trying to screw them over.

Why would anyone ever want to leave that?

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Nice, very nice.

UT, OU, OSU would want out of that non-football conference in a hurry wouldn't they?

[eazyb81]

Originally Posted by tk13

I think that article was interesting. If things were that tense before I'd love to see how tense they are now. Think of all the stuff Texas has done since then, especially since now even OU and OSU feel like Texas was trying to screw them over.

I would guess the remaining schools understand they have no better options and are just learning to live with it.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Originally Posted by eazyb81

Did you hear that on Tigerboard? I see you are spending quite a bit of time there.

I did. Despite it's super annoying format, the fans are comedy gold.

[evenfall]

Originally Posted by eazyb81

I would guess the remaining schools understand they have no better options and are just learning to live with it.

Proud members, standing strong

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Expecting high 60s - 67k to 68k - would mean that basically all tickets except hill seats are sold out.

I just did a quick count of available seated tickets at MUTigers.com. There are 979 available seated tickets. 454 of those are in visitor sections.

The rest of the availability is in the hill. There's no way to track GA (hill seat) tickets, but I know there are about 4500 tickets in that grouping (actual seats is something like 66,500).

I've long thought listing those GA tickets as part of official capacity was reeruned.

I always think "attendance smack" is funny from KU/KSU folks. We seat almost 20k more than you and have 12-15k more at each game, based on average attendance. Not much room to talk there, IMO.

I suppose if Kansas only had one school and we were filling a bigger stadium, I'd be content. But we have 2 schools, and fill one, and about half of another.....so that's about 75-80k.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

so the Pac10 was wanting to take 7 Big 12 teams? Let the speculation begin...

[eazyb81]

Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.

I suppose if Kansas only had one school and we were filling a bigger stadium, I'd be content. But we have 2 schools, and fill one, and about half of another.....so that's about 75-80k.

Congrats?

I would love to see an Ecobeak.