David Boren to chair Big 12 Board

[Goldbug]

Again, if OU needs academic dollars then I don't see how the moving to the Pac 12 helps them right away. They need to run to the big ten, and fast.

I'll explain it one more time, Lance.

1. We don't want to go to the B1G. There is absolutely no appetite to play games against schools we have no history with and are in a cold climate. It would also hurt our football recruiting.

2. The B1G doesn't really want OU because of our academic status. We are not an AAU member and that's a big hairy ass deal to them.

3. Joining the Pac 12 would let us rub shoulders with California, Stanford, USC, UCLA and Washington........and hopefully Texas too if you would go with us.

4. Joining the Pac 12 would let us recruit the West Coast like a mofo in all sports. That's a sweet thought when we are struggling to get back to the top of the mountain.

5. The OU Alumni like the idea of a two-division Pac 16 conference with OU getting the benefits of playing most of its games against teams that are relatively close but we get great games against teams like UCLA, Oregon, USC, Stanford, etc, etc. on a semi-regular basis. And we would still get to play Texas whether they went with us or not.

6. The money would start rolling in from the Alums who know this would be a test for them: pony up some big bucks to run with the Big Boys on the West Coast. In time, OU's academics would benefit resulting in more Alumni donations, more opportunities for government grants and an eventually real shot at AAU membership.

It's a process that would take time but it would be far better than treading water in the Big 12 conference.

 

[Lance Armstrong]

I'll explain it one more time, Lance.

1. We don't want to go to the B1G. There is absolutely no appetite to play games against schools we have no history with and are in a cold climate. It would also hurt our football recruiting.

2. The B1G doesn't really want OU because of our academic status. We are not an AAU member and that's a big hairy ass deal to them.

3. Joining the Pac 12 would let us rub shoulders with California, Stanford, USC, UCLA and Washington........and hopefully Texas too if you would go with us.

4. Joining the Pac 12 would let us recruit the West Coast like a mofo in all sports. That's a sweet thought when we are struggling to get back to the top of the mountain.

5. The OU Alumni like the idea of a two-division Pac 16 conference with OU getting the benefits of playing most of its games against teams that are relatively close but we get great games against teams like UCLA, Oregon, USC, Stanford, etc, etc. on a semi-regular basis. And we would still get to play Texas whether they went with us or not.

6. The money would start rolling in from the Alums who know this would be a test for them: pony up some big bucks to run with the Big Boys on the West Coast. In time, OU's academics would benefit resulting in more Alumni donations, more opportunities for government grants and an eventually real shot at AAU membership.

It's a process that would take time but it would be far better than treading water in the Big 12 conference.

This is all nice and all but none of it really helps your academic dollars. You keep crying about that, but "rubbing shoulders with Stanford" doesn't put money in academics very quickly. I know the big ten is boring, but that's the quickest way to solve your problem of academic dollars. Sorry, if academic money is really driving the OU relocation train then the Big ten is your best bet. You'd also be giving up all that Tier 3 money to go to the pac, but the big ten makes a boatload from the BTN.

 

[TexasExes98]

I'll explain it one more time, Lance.

1. We don't want to go to the B1G. There is absolutely no appetite to play games against schools we have no history with and are in a cold climate. It would also hurt our football recruiting.

2. The B1G doesn't really want OU because of our academic status. We are not an AAU member and that's a big hairy ass deal to them.

3. Joining the Pac 12 would let us rub shoulders with California, Stanford, USC, UCLA and Washington........and hopefully Texas too if you would go with us.

4. Joining the Pac 12 would let us recruit the West Coast like a mofo in all sports. That's a sweet thought when we are struggling to get back to the top of the mountain.

5. The OU Alumni like the idea of a two-division Pac 16 conference with OU getting the benefits of playing most of its games against teams that are relatively close but we get great games against teams like UCLA, Oregon, USC, Stanford, etc, etc. on a semi-regular basis. And we would still get to play Texas whether they went with us or not.

6. The money would start rolling in from the Alums who know this would be a test for them: pony up some big bucks to run with the Big Boys on the West Coast. In time, OU's academics would benefit resulting in more Alumni donations, more opportunities for government grants and an eventually real shot at AAU membership.

It's a process that would take time but it would be far better than treading water in the Big 12 conference.

Lance/Johnny D has a point. If academic dollars are as important as you make it out to be, OU must join the B1G. You gain access to CIC dollars as a member of the B1G, which is HUGE!!!

 

[sooner78wakeboard]

The way I imagine it is, Texas will begin to open their mouth and immediately Boren is like...

 

[Goldbug]

Lance/Johnny D has a point. If academic dollars are as important as you make it out to be, OU must join the B1G. You gain access to CIC dollars as a member of the B1G, which is HUGE!!!

Exes, what Lance, et al. are missing is just about everything I said. They think OU is looking for a quick fix. It isn't. What Oklahoma wants is a long term solution to a long term problem. In the meantime we need to maintain our athletic excellence until we can upgrade our academic rating. The B1G is not an answer for the reasons I listed. It's either stay in the Dead Conference Walking or make a move to the Pac.

 

[TexasExes98]

Exes, what Lance, et al. are missing is just about everything I said. They think OU is looking for a quick fix. It isn't. What Oklahoma wants is a long term solution to a long term problem. In the meantime we need to maintain our athletic excellence until we can upgrade our academic rating. The B1G is not an answer for the reasons I listed. It's either stay in the Dead Conference Walking or make a move to the Pac.

But OU will take a MASSIVE paycut by moving to the Pac as far as 1st, 2nd and 3rd tier rights go. MASSIVE PAYCUT and if finances are indeed a problem, I can't see the school wanting to make that move. Now grant it, that part is a fraction of a university's revenue and has no bearing on the endowment. But I guess if you think the OU alum will start coughing up more money with a move to the Pac, you would know better than I would.

 

[Lance Armstrong]

But OU will take a MASSIVE paycut by moving to the Pac as far as 1st, 2nd and 3rd tier rights go. MASSIVE PAYCUT and if finances are indeed a problem, I can't see the school wanting to make that move. Now grant it, that part is a fraction of a university's revenue and has no bearing on the endowment. But I guess if you think the OU alum will start coughing up more money with a move to the Pac, you would know better than I would.

Maybe he's hoping Cal drops their wallet at the 1st Pac 14 meetings and OU can forget to take it to the lost and found.

 

[wazzu31]

There won't be a Pac 16, that ship sailed when the Big 12 south minus Baylor didn't join the conference. Zero chance Cal, Stanford, UW and Oregon allow Texas and OU into the conference at the expense of them giving up SC and UCLA games. It would OU and Texas alone with Oklahoma joining the north and Texas the south.

 

[Lance Armstrong]

There won't be a Pac 16, that ship sailed when the Big 12 south minus Baylor didn't join the conference. Zero chance Cal, Stanford, UW and Oregon allow Texas and OU into the conference at the expense of them giving up SC and UCLA games. It would OU and Texas alone with Oklahoma joining the north and Texas the south.

Yup, that would've been a great conference. No chance Texas and OU go alone, no travel partners and the money sucks.

 

[Goldbug]

But OU will take a MASSIVE paycut by moving to the Pac as far as 1st, 2nd and 3rd tier rights go. MASSIVE PAYCUT and if finances are indeed a problem, I can't see the school wanting to make that move. Now grant it, that part is a fraction of a university's revenue and has no bearing on the endowment. But I guess if you think the OU alum will start coughing up more money with a move to the Pac, you would know better than I would.

Exes, take this for what it's worth (and I kind of hate to even mention it because I normally don't put much faith in hearsay when it's passed on by someone else on a chat board) but my wife and I had dinner Saturday night with a couple who are tied tight, tight, tight to OU. We are too so it made for some interesting conversation. My friend swears he's been told by someone "high up" at OU that David Boren is playing the long game here. Boren's not stupid; he knows we can't afford to walk away from a lot of current/potential athletic revenue. But he is dead set on creating an atmosphere and launching point for OU to jump when the time is right. In the meantime he can dissuade the addition of stone losers to the conference and build bridges for a possible (or even inevitable?) realignment in the future. He knows Oklahoma will never get the money it needs if we keep doing the same-old same-old.

 

[wazzu31]

Yup, that would've been a great conference. No chance Texas and OU go alone, no travel partners and the money sucks.

Basically IMO. OU can want in the conference all they want but way too many political strings involved unless a huge shakeup. Texas by itself would be accepted in an instant but OU would need Texas and would have to accept a fairly bad package compared to what they want. For all non revenue sports we have travel partners, which OU and Texas would have an issue since they would be in separate divisions as well as a huge issue would arise with their rivalry. Obviously you'd want to play each other every year but would OU come to the Pac basically giving up a trip to So Cal every 2 years to keep it. There is in fighting trying to play there once a year for North teams let alone adding two more teams who would be relegated to 2nd class citizens at the get go which doesn't seem to be (from my little knowledge) Trxas's MO. Bored seems to be ok with coming in the way Colorado and Utah did as red headed step children and all but hard to think an apex school like Texas would.