STILLWATER – In the continuation of what has been a strange last eight days that started last Wednesday when Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle first broke the story of Texas and Oklahoma seeking to leave the Big 12 and join up with the Southeastern Conference we now have the Big 12 Conference sending television sports powerhouse network ESPN, of which it has a contract with to televise it’s conferences sports, to “cease and desist” from “all actions that may harm the conference and its members and that it not communicate with the Big 12 Conference's existing members or any NCAA conference regarding the Big 12 conference's members, possible conference realignment or potential financial incentive or outcomes related to possible conference realignment." The news of the order was first reporter by Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.
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Bowlsby’s aiming blame at ESPN is either genius or it may be paranoia.
Later in the day, Bowlsby spoke with Max Olson of The Athletic and clarified his allegations and reasons for having the order delivered to the network.
"This collaboration between and among ESPN and conferences to undermine the Big 12 is a tortious interference with our business,” Bowlsby said to Olson. “"It’s clearly them doing things that are disadvantageous to our business and I have absolute certainty that what I’m saying is factual. I’m not prepared to share the evidence, but I can tell you it’s irrefutable."
Basically, Bowlsby is in last ditch effort to save the integrity of the Big 12 and keep the other eight schools together. Bowlsby believes that ESPN was involved in the discussion with Texas and Oklahoma and the SEC in looking at the economics of that move. However, the trigger here was the reports that the American Athletic Conference, an ESPN group of five property, has contacted some of the remaining Big 12 members trying to get them to join. ESPN might be able to persuade some of those schools. If more schools leave then the Big 12 would dissolve after this season and save ESPN money on their Big 12 contract and Oklahoma and Texas the hefty exit fees to leave the Big 12 and ESPN was possibly going to help out with those.
In between all of this we’ve seen a wide variety of rumors on the future of the remaining eight schools in the Big 12 including Oklahoma State. We’ve seen statements from various University presidents and chancellors regarding Oklahoma and Texas and the situation that it puts their school in. Oklahoma State’s new President Dr. Kayse Shrum obviously touched a nerve and drew an op/ed response in The Oklahoman and The Tulsa World from former OU head football coach Bob Stoops.
Now legal action by the Big 12 toward one of their two television partners. It is clear with the order that the Big 12 believes that ESPN played a role in the recent and apparently long-term flirtation and correspondence that led to Oklahoma and Texas informing the Big 12 that they did not want to continue their Grant of Rights agreement with the Big 12 past the current agreement which concludes after the 2024-25 school year and corresponds with the end of the current television agreements. The next day (Tuesday of this week) the two schools formally asked for an invitation to join the Southeastern Conference. That was accepted and Chip Brown of Horns 247 reports the SEC board will vote on that during their Thursday meeting.
Meanwhile, the remaining Big 12 members are all looking for future conference options. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby is urging the eight schools to stay together and work to form a viable future Big 12 without Oklahoma and Texas. The odds of that happening and building to the level of a viable Power Five league is a longshot. Bowlsby has not shown any propensity to lure schools into the league, at least schools of that caliber.
It is presumed for that reason that Bowlsby is trying to keep ESPN away from his schools for fear their advice or preference could lead to further departures. Those departures are likely to happen with or without ESPN as long as the other conferences decide they want to invite existing Big 12 members into their fold.
The effort to find OKlahoma State football and athletics its’ future conference home continues as Dr. Shrum, athletic director Chad Weiberg, OSU Senior Vice-President Kyle Wray, and others meet constantly at Whitehurst Hall on the Oklahoma State campus.
