Oklahoma to the Pac-12? Sure Sounds Like It, Despite Dan Beebe's Best Efforts
By Jason McIntyre
"I’ll put it this way: I don’t think there’s any chance OU’s going to end up being a wallflower.”"
If you read Boren’s comments in their entirety, the situation sounds awfully dire for the Big 12.
How bad is it? The commish, Dan Beebe – who has played this entire realignment thing terribly dating back to last summer – made an emergency call to presidents in the Big 12 (presidents from Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M were left out) late Friday night in hopes of getting everyone to work on keeping Texas in the league. According to OrangeBloods:
"It’s Beebe’s belief that if Texas refuses to go to the Pac-12 that Oklahoma would not get a bid from the Pac-12, sources said. But another source close to the situation said if Oklahoma and Oklahoma State indicated to the Pac-12 that they wanted to be a part of that league, they would be admitted."
Beebe seems clueless. Why would Texas and Oklahoma be a package deal? If Oklahoma and Oklahoma State leave, there is no Big 12! Texas isn’t calling the shots here, Oklahoma is. And whatever Oklahoma does, little brother Oklahoma State will follow. If Texas thinks the Pac-16 would be a better option than going independent, the Longhorns will bolt, too.
There’s no incentive for Oklahoma to stay! And please, spare me this, BYU-Air Force-to-the-Big 12 garbage – it is clearly being floated by Beebe in a last ditch attempt to keep the league together.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if by Tuesday, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech all bolted for the Pac-12 and the Longhorn Network contract with ESPN was torn up. Chip Brown speculates:
"So Texas’ Longhorn Network, which launched on Aug. 26 and still can’t even be seen by most of the Lone Star State, would likely have to be turned into one of the Pac-12’s regional networks (and most likely partner with Texas Tech). And that could mean Texas basically tearing up the 20-year, $300 million deal it just inked with ESPN and giving up its riches."
Enjoy that sweet win over TCU, Baylor. In a few days, you might not even have a conference.