NCAA Re-alignment

[Mr. Ford95]

OU Regents are voting on moving to the Pac-12 on Monday. Problem is, who is going to be the 2nd team to join OU? Will that team come from the Big 12 or could it be a MWC team like newcomer Boise?

Syracuse and Pitt are asking to join the ACC. All 3 parties initially declined to comment but a source of this info is right in the middle of the talks. The ACC commented late last night to say that they haven't talked with anyone. This would be a huge basketball coop by the ACC, 'Cuse and Pitt are 2 of the current leaders of Big East basketball.

The next question is, who will be the 2nd team that the SEC adds if TAMU gets away from the Big 12? If the ACC adds both Pitt and 'Cuse, could VT be headed South? What about WVU? Nice Hatfield-McCoy battle with Kentucky could be in store and why wouldn't WVU leave the Big East? They would probably lose their BCS Auto-bid if Pitt and 'Cuse leave. They only have 8 teams as is, with the addition of TCU it's 9 teams. Can't see a 7 team conference deserving of an Auto-bid.

[robertt]

OU Regents are voting on moving to the Pac-12 on Monday. Problem is, who is going to be the 2nd team to join OU? Will that team come from the Big 12 or could it be a MWC team like newcomer Boise?

Word around here is probably O-State. I've pretty much resigned myself to let the chips fall where they may. It all changes daily and it's making me tired so when and what they decide I'll go with it. I personally would like to see them in the SEC but they haven't asked for my opinion yet.

[Mr. Ford95]

Breaking news on Gameday is that Pitt and 'Cuse have officially approached the ACC about joining and have filed the necessary paperwork. Baylor and Iowa State have also come into the mix this morning. They have both talked with the Big East about moving in with TCU should OU and another unnamed team leave the Big 12 along with TAMU. It's starting to get really wild again.

[Mr. Ford95]

TCU has basically gone on record and said they may renege on their entrance into the Big East next year if Pitt and 'Cuse leave. The AD told ESPN that he is very concerned with this latest development and how it affects their move into the Big East next year.

[Mr. Ford95]

And now it looks like it's official, the ACC has apparently voted to allow Pitt to join them. An announcement is expected in the next few hours. The ACC just voted to approve expansion of the conference. No word on 'Cuse joining but all reports and sources say that Pitt did in fact send a letter seeking admittance into the ACC and this latest vote by the ACC says it's a done deal for Pitt. The ACC expects to bring in at least 2 new teams but it could be as many as 4-6. An ACC official admitted that as many as 10 teams have sent letters seeking admittance into the conference.

[Jackrabbit379]

I'm glad you have been posting this. I can't keep up. I don't know who's going where.
Pitt and 'Cuse are going to ACC.
I've heard that OU is looking into Pac-however many it is. I would think that Ok State would join OU.
I don't know about ISU or Baylor. Maybe Conf USA? Who knows...

[Mr. Ford95]

Baylor and ISU are talking of jumping to the Big East but I think that may hinge on whether TCU decides to stay or not and how many more schools leave the Big East in the next week.

Apparently Texas and OU are supposed to make announcements this week on what their plans are for the future. Many suspect OU and OSU to the Pac-12. I'm hearing a crazy rumor that Texas is headed to the ACC. Makes no sense geographically but neither did TCU going to the Big East but the TV money would be huge with Longhorn Network joining the ACC Network/Jefferson Pilot Sports. The only question with Texas is, do they meet the standards of the ACC's academia or will the ACC give them a special waiver on that?

The ACC not only has a rumor of Texas joining but around here there is speculation that UConn is going to defect from the Big East and join the ACC as the 15th team. Also hearing Rutgers or WVU(longshot due to their academic's, considered poor compared to the ACC as a whole) as the 16th team if the Texas rumor is false. What's funny is the ACC was the first conference to broach the subject of "Super-Conference" and were somewhat laughed at yet here they are a few years later about to do just that.

[robertt]

The latest as of today. It's changing EVERY day.

Oklahoma board of regents empower David Boren for possible move to Pac-12 - ESPN
Big East, Big 12 talking possible merger, report says - ESPN

I've even heard of TCU renegging on their deal if some of this stuff happens.

[Mr. Ford95]

On Saturday while this was all going down as breaking news, I was thinking that the Big 12 and Big East would probably end up merging before this is all over with. Maybe they can work together to take over C-USA and therefore take that name for their Super-Conference. They would end up with 20 friggin teams if they pulled that off.

Hearing a funky report that Notre Dame may be interested in becoming a full member of the ACC. They are only a partial member in the Big East and the Big East has tried to get them to become a full member but ND refuses to take it's football program off Indy status. I don't put much stock into this report, just thought it was funny.

I'm believing Texas and Texas Tech head West with OU and OSU to the Pac-12 and make it the Pac-16.

[robertt]

I wouldn't think ND would leave their lucrative contract with NBC and their independant status, stranger things have happened though.

[Mr. Ford95]

ND wouldn't leave the NBC contract, they would bring it with them just like with Texas. Wherever Texas ends up, their TV deal with ESPN will go with them. It's really smart to go after the 2 teams in the land with those national TV deal, ND and Texas. It's a guaranteed game every week on national TV for that conference along with any other games that ESPN picks up.

[Jackrabbit379]

It would be strange to me, but the Big 12 and Big east might come together.. Seems like that would make somewhat sense, rather than all the schools going to who know where.
I could see Pitt and WV in the ACC. UCONN in the ACC?? Do they have a football team?

[Mr. Ford95]

UConn does have football, matter of fact, they won the Big East last year and played OU in the Fiesta Bowl where OU beat them like a red headed step child.

I think Pitt, VT and maybe UNC/Maryland will all push hard to invite WVU to the ACC along with Pitt. It would give both Pitt and VT a rivalry game back, The Backyard Brawl and The Black Diamond game. Rutgers is a good choice due to their location, it gives the ACC a team right there at the coveted NY market. Academics are pretty good.

Another report names Penn St as being a sleeper to join the ACC. Great academics, geographically it's wise, it also brings back the rivalry they had with Pitt before joining the Big Ten.

I would not be surprised if the ACC goes and adds another 4 teams to give them 18 total. Rutgers, UConn, PSU and WVU.

[robertt]

The PAC-12 say's whooaaaa up there Nellie.....Now what? I read an article today in our local paper that OU's Pres is trying to save the BIG-12 now and one of the local sports guy's says WVU is going to make or brake us. I hadn't even heard them mentioned in anything until I read that. Like I said before, this is making me tired.

Pac-12 Conference decides it won't expand further - ESPN

[Jackrabbit379]

I was being funny.. They might do well in the ACC, who knows.

OU and Texas are trying to save it, and if they do, OU wants a new commissioner, and they want restrictions on the longhorn network.

[Mr. Ford95]

OU also wants more revenue sharing but Texas refuses to give anyone anything when it comes to Longhorn TV. I don't believe the Big 12 is safe because of that.

Mizzou has received a standing offer to join the SEC but it hinges on what happens with WVU it seems. If the ACC doesn't add them then I suspect the SEC will yank the offer Mizzou has and give it to WVU. If WVU doesn't join then it will go back to Mizzou.

[robertt]

Tell me University's and their Pres's don't have any pull. Boren spoke and the next day this is happening. This could end up being the best thing for us. If we don't go to the SEC, I like this the best. I REALLY didn't want OU to go to the PAC-12. I saw another story where E.Carolina applied to join the Big East.

Dan Beebe working to leave job as Big 12 Conference commissioner, report says - ESPN

[Mr. Ford95]

The revenue sharing deal is going to be what makes or breaks the Big 12. OU and the rest of the Big 12 are still miles apart on that from Texas. It's Texas vs the Big 12 there. Texas has Longhorn TV giving them money and gets Big 12 revenue sharing money from Big 12 TV deals. OU and the rest feel that is BS and think that Texas should get nothing from the Big 12 revenue sharing since they went and got their own TV deal. Texas refuses to give up their share of Big 12 TV money which would be dispersed to the rest of the members evenly. I do agree with OU's viewpoint on this, you got your own separate TV deal so no way should you get any from the conference TV deal. Unless Texas budges, OU and OK St will bolt, possibly to the BE if the Pac-12 was serious on the "No." Remember this though, just because the Pac-12 said no to expansion doesn't mean they won't still do it. They said no to expansion and a few weeks later introduced Utah and Colorado to go from the Pac-10 to the Pac-12 2 years ago.

[robertt]

Well.....after all the posturing, threatening, and so on, OU decided to stay in the BIG-12 Stoops was on the radio this morning about it. Somebody is yanking somebody else's chain. I think it is the general public. What a joke the past couple of weeks has been. I'm happy they are staying but WHY go through all of this? I guess because whatever it was that they wanted they got. I don't know if it was Beebe leaving or what but something gave. Gave us something to talk about anyway

Big 12 Conference, commissioner Dan Beebe reach 'mutual agreement' to part ways - ESPN
Big 12 presidents pledge to grant television rights, revenue to conference, according to Oklahoma president David Boren - ESPN

[Jackrabbit379]

They held a conference with all the remaining Big 12 presidents yesterday evening. I actually got to listen to Boren's press conference on the college sports channel.
From what I understood, the 9 remaining schools agreed to remain in the Big 12, and it sounded like they are going to try to invite other schools to join. I don't think they mentioned who they are inviting. Chuck Neinas, the former Big 8 commissioner is the interim commissioner, til they find one.

I'm glad they are deciding to try to keep the Big 12. I'm a traditionalist, and I was dreading the outcome of the Big 12. I didn't want the conference to disband. I understand things change, but my thing was, is that these schools/rivals have competed each other for years. I know there are other schools that have rivals from different conferences, but it wouldn't be the same. Maybe that makes sense..? I'm sure, over time, A&M will find a new rival in the SEC. I would imagine they would still have their annual rival with Texas. Don't know if it will still be on Thanksgiving, but look at Clemson/S Carolina, FSU/Florida etc..