OU and UT pulling an aTm. They are confusing $$$ with the opportunity to win championships. What good is more $$$ if you are less competitive? Think of it like this - would anyone trade OSUs success (regardless of how you define it) for Vanderbilts TV paycheck? I know, that's a little extreme, but you get the point. I don't care what aTm fans say publicly, but their move to the SEC cost their donors hundreds of millions of dollars with no success whatsoever just for the opportunity to say they are in the SEC.
Photo by Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics
Oklahoma State Football
Welcome to the Big 12 and Major College Athletics, but Shrum Prepared
STILLWATER – Shortly after the publication of this story, new Oklahoma State University President Dr. Kayse Shrum and new athletic director Chad Weiberg will meet virtually with their counterparts in the Big 12 Conference as the other seven schools and the conference office try and navigate the bomb shell story by Texas A&M beat reporter Brent Zwerneman that Oklahoma and Texas had major discussions with the Southeastern Conference about joining that league.
Pokes Report learned that despite being invited, Oklahoma and Texas did not attend the meeting. Also, simultaneously as the Big 12 was meeting, the Southeastern Conference was on a conference call.
Robert Allen - Pokes Report
First big test for Weiberg and Shrum as leaders in Big 12.
We’ve learned a lot about the move made by Texas and Oklahoma to join the SEC. The two Big 12 schools used a law firm to serve as a third party and open up negotiations on the Sooners and Longhorns moving to the SEC. The discussions are much further down the road than anybody imagined and the leak by a Texas A&M official to Zwermeman. Texas A&M is hoping to avert especially Texas joining the conference as their desire since leaving the Big 12 in 2012 was to stay away from Texas.
Dr. Shrum is equipped to be in this position and Oklahoma State and quite possibly the Big 12 is in better shape to have her there. Dr. Shrum has lots of connections and there is some discussion that she may have even been aware of some of what Oklahoma was involved in doing with Texas. Shrum is also a tough individual that isn’t afraid to make tough decisions.
Thursday’s meeting includes both Presidents and Chancellors along with athletic directors. I would expect the CEOs to be very involved.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby was caught flat-footed.
I was told late this afternoon that Oklahoma and Texas hope to be out of the Big 12 in January and participate in spring sports possibly in the SEC. That is quick meaning football or men’s and women’s basketball might be the end of the Big 12 existence for OU and UT.
In other words, this meeting on Thursday is not going to be light in content, but a hard-core meeting where decisions need to be made. I will be interested in seeing if the remaining eight Big 12 schools have the discipline to stay together and make Oklahoma and Texas forfeit their television rights money or does every school act in an everyman for themselves manner and the Big 12 dissipates?
This meeting could tell us a lot.
Oklahoma State and the other seven Big 12 schools will need to think about their future. Oklahoma State is most likely a candidate for either the ACC or the Pac-12 and many believe the Pac-12 is the most likely.
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