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 KCChiefsFan88

Interesting from Peter King’s column today:

Link: https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profoo...mia-peter-king

King is a fool on NFL stuff and now he is embarrassing himself on the NCAA.

The NCAA didn't give up. The Supreme Court decided against them.

There was nothing the NCAA could do. Same deal with the NIL stuff. People wanted athletes to make money and have a free transfer. Now they are mad at the NCAA for giving them what they wanted. Hypocrites.

And guess what because of that Court decision, viewers instead of only being able to watch two or three games on Saturday, now can watch dozens of games. It is magnificent.

[Eleazar]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

Interesting from Peter King’s column today:

Link: https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profoo...mia-peter-king

These media types like to complain about gambling's effect on sports, even as the organizations they work for all transition their sports coverage to focus on sports gambling as much as the sport itself.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by MarkDavis'Haircut

King is a fool on NFL stuff and now he is embarrassing himself on the NCAA.

The NCAA didn't give up. The Supreme Court decided against them.

There was nothing the NCAA could do. Same deal with the NIL stuff. People wanted athletes to make money and have a free transfer. Now they are mad at the NCAA for giving them what they wanted. Hypocrites.

And guess what because of that Court decision, viewers instead of only being able to watch two or three games on Saturday, now can watch dozens of games. It is magnificent.

He’s also relaying what NFL coaches/executives are telling him.

[displacedinMN]

I dont think the NCAA has ever really had control of college football.

Recruiting, rules of the game, smaller D1AA-D2-D3....yes...

TV contracts, streaming, conference alignment, bowls...no way.

[KingPriest2]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

I dont think the NCAA has ever really has control of college football.

Recruiting, rules of the game, smaller D1AA-D2-D3....yes...

TV contracts, streaming, conference alignment, bowls...no way.

Yes on tv. That’s what led to the CFA and the 1984 SC decision. That always had control over TV

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Razaele

These media types like to complain about gambling's effect on sports, even as the organizations they work for all transition their sports coverage to focus on sports gambling as much as the sport itself.

The entire worry about gambling now is hilarious to me. People are all bent about some players gambling about $4500 over 20 games...and they did it on LEGAL gambling networks that now make it easier than ever to catch them. In the past do you think they just didn't gamble? Hell no. They just did it on offshore books where nobody had any idea. TBH kids should probably just do that if they want to be safe.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

I dont think the NCAA has ever really had control of college football.

Recruiting, rules of the game, smaller D1AA-D2-D3....yes...

TV contracts, streaming, conference alignment, bowls...no way.

The end game is to get rid of the NCAA. The B1G and SEC will be the new NCAA. Once the end is in sight blue blood basketball teams like Duke, Kansas, UCONN will have huge value as they will work to have their own post season basketball tournament. NCAA Tournament is really the only reason the NCAA is still alive and kicking. Without it they are dead. B1G and SEC need to figure out how to have their own tournament that is better.

[Boiled Chicken]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

I dont think the NCAA has ever really had control of college football.

Recruiting, rules of the game, smaller D1AA-D2-D3....yes...

TV contracts, streaming, conference alignment, bowls...no way.

They killed SMU

[MarkDavis'Haircut]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

I dont think the NCAA has ever really had control of college football.

Recruiting, rules of the game, smaller D1AA-D2-D3....yes...

TV contracts, streaming, conference alignment, bowls...no way.

College football was always out of control. There were reform efforts in the 1920s and 1930s that were generally ignored. Some universities like Chicago did shutter their football programs and other schools like Pitt drastically cut back athletic aid. Much to their school's suffering.

The book "Shake Down the Thunder" covers the topic. It is a fascinating read.

The NCAA controlled television rights until 1984. The ballooning we see today is a result of that removal. It has been good and bad for the game.

[FloridaMan88]

Arizona’s President already salivating over the KU-Arizona basketball match-up…

Arizona AD Dave Heeke says “the group up north” will continue to be UA’s biggest rival.

UA president Robert Robbins is looking forward to the Arizona-Kansas battles in basketball in the Big 12.

“That’s gonna be an intense rivalry.”

Is KU the new UCLA?

“They’re different.” pic.twitter.com/JMAi95zF79

— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) August 7, 2023

[displacedinMN]

I still hate Arizona for stealing Lute Oleson. Although he knew how to choke it in the first round.

Hate Wichita State too.

[FloridaMan88]

Somehow I don’t see this appeasing Florida State and Clemson.

Sources: In the next 24 hours, there’s two calls for the ACC to vet and have early exploratory discussions on the potential addition of Cal and Stanford. One is for ACC athletic directors and the other for the league's presidents and chancellors.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 7, 2023

[DJ's left nut]

The Atlantic Coast Conference.

Is looking for members out of California.

Yeah, that's gonna fix everything.

This really does seem likely to eventually settle into a couple powerhouse football conferences and a couple powerhouse basketball conferences.

But honestly, the NIL and free transfer stuff has made it a lot harder to give a shit about any of the conferences/rivalries.

[MarkDavis'Haircut]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

Somehow I don’t see this appeasing Florida State and Clemson.

Sources: In the next 24 hours, there’s two calls for the ACC to vet and have early exploratory discussions on the potential addition of Cal and Stanford. One is for ACC athletic directors and the other for the league's presidents and chancellors.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 7, 2023

The ACC needs powerhouse programs on the field not academic giants.

[ROYC75]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

Somehow I don’t see this appeasing Florida State and Clemson.

Sources: In the next 24 hours, there’s two calls for the ACC to vet and have early exploratory discussions on the potential addition of Cal and Stanford. One is for ACC athletic directors and the other for the league's presidents and chancellors.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 7, 2023

OK, so this is just stupid for the ACC. So what will become of the Pac 4?

I read a story today that said SDSU & Ore. State is still talking to the B12 about future acceptance.

I don't see this either, if the B12 wanted CBB, UConn & Gonzaga would be better but that has an unbalanced CFB schedule. Scheduling really comes into play with a larger conferences.