OU demands Beebe's ouster, LHN curbs, to stay in Big XII

knapplc

knapplc

International Man of Mystery
Source: Removal of Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe among OU's demandsA high-ranking source told The Oklahoman on Tuesday that OU wants hard and fast rules for Texas and the removal of Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe in order for the Sooners to stay in the conference

The University of Oklahoma is considering remaining in the Big 12, but only in a “reformed” version of the conference that includes hard and fast rules for Texas' Longhorn Network and removal of Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe, a high-ranking Big 12 source told The Oklahoman on Tuesday.

OU president David Boren said Monday the Sooners would decide soon between applying for Pac-12 membership or staying in the Big 12, and the source outlined the parameters for remaining in the Big 12.

“It's going to take major, major reforms” for OU, and thus Oklahoma State, to consider remaining in the Big 12, the source said. “We'd have to have an interim commissioner.”

The source said the league presidents do not believe Beebe responded with adequate leadership to Nebraska's and Texas A&M's frustration. The Big 12 has lost three members in the last 15 months, and “the relationships were so bad (with) the commissioner,” the source said.

The other reform the Sooners demand is Texas and ESPN retreating on some its plans for the Longhorn Network. The UT/ESPN partnership angered Big 12 members on two counts: 1) the network reached an agreement with Fox Sports to move a conference game to the Longhorn Network; and 2) The Longhorn Network announced it would show high school highlights even after the conference voted to keep televised high school games off school-branded networks.

The source said it is not inevitable that OU and OSU will go to the Pac-12, even though the OU regents support the move.
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Wow. Where was this 18 months ago?

For the record, I could not be happier in the Big Ten. It is an absolute home run for Nebraska. But this kind of sentiment needed to be expressed a LONG time ago. This is way too little, way too late.

Also, note that the article ties Oklahoma and OK Lite at the hip - "...going to take major, major reforms for OU, and thus Oklahoma State..."

That is not a good thing for OU, which is a far better brand without OK Lite. You can pretty much kiss Big Ten membership goodbye with that requirement.... not that it was very likely, anyway.

 
knapplc said:
For the record, I could not be happier in the Big Ten. It is an absolute home run for Nebraska. But this kind of sentiment needed to be expressed a LONG time ago. This is way too little, way too late.
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Exactly. All this stuff going down now makes the NU administration look like geniuses. I am very happy to be in the Big 10, and watch all this drama from afar.

 
knapplc said:
That is not a good thing for OU, which is a far better brand without OK Lite. You can pretty much kiss Big Ten membership goodbye with that requirement.... not that it was very likely, anyway.
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It's already been rumored the big ten has declined OU for a week or two now. Mainly on that northwestern rivals board, but I think that was sort of confirmed by the fact that OU's president wouldn't discuss the big ten or sec yesterday while joking that if he told the reporter he'd have to kill him, while at the same time was more then happy to discuss the pac12 as plan A2 to the big twelve (Texas) meeting their demands. Which Texas isn't going to do. It's a CYA scenario. Either Texas caves and the big 12 gains stability while Texas gives up everything that makes that league more attractive to them or they say no and OU (and everyone else) is free and clear to get out.

As to where that sentiment was 18 months ago, it was Nebraska doing the same thing with the whole "assign all media rights to the conference long term" showdown. Texas didn't go for it then and they won't now.

 
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yeah I don't think this is anything other than OU saving face. They get to look like the guys that are trying to save the conference and making sure everyone knows they tried. I do find it amusing that they are throwing Texas under the bus where they belong by calling them out. Will make things interesting if they all end up in the Pac...

 
knapplc said:
For the record, I could not be happier in the Big Ten. It is an absolute home run for Nebraska. But this kind of sentiment needed to be expressed a LONG time ago. This is way too little, way too late.
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I feel about the same way...the B10 will be better and more stable in the long run, but part of me still wishes the Big 12 could have been reformed into a more equitable league. For instance say CU still left...you bring in TCU + two other Texas schools in C-USA for 14, move OU and OSU to the north division, then you have the 7 north schools (NU, ISU, KU, KSU, Mizzou, OU, OSU, and a Texas division. Then you get a Big 14 TV network that has Texas high school football in Texas and other stuff for the north division in an arrangement that's fair for all the Texas schools and the non-Texas schools. Basically it's the old Big 8 playing the old SWC in a CCG. I think that would have been the premier league in CFB and one that was geographically sound.

Anyway...things that never were aside, this seems to be OU spitting in Beebe's face before they take off.

 
I disagree with letting all the Texas high school games on their tv being allowed. You do that and the recruiting to the north from Texas is almost completely gone.

 
Adding any Texas school to the big 12 gives the Longhorns an even larger voting block in the conference and the Texas legislature even more pull in conference affairs via proxy. Not to mention all those schools have issues with each other that run deeper then the big 12s problems from the SWC days and they have worse facilities then Baylor. So basically remaking divisions as a SWCx2 vs the big 8 would have just incorporated both the problems the big 12 had and the problems that caused the SWC to break up.

That wasn't a viable option for adding stability.

 
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I still think it's a front. OU is just making sure they aren't blamed for blowing up the league. They are gone.

 
Listened to Kuglar today, saw a hilarious tweet by a fake beebe who tweet to dobbs, "help" i was lmao when they were talking about it

 
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Hmmmm...this makes me think that the rumors of Texas not having a Pac-12 invite because of their precious channel have legs.

Otherwise, all this amounts to is posturing on Oklahoma's part for the history books, as I seriously doubt Oklahoma would stay in a Big XII where Texas still gets to wield their channel like a billy club.

And frankly, Oklahoma doesn't give two s***s about how history books portray their program--they're trying to whitewash all of Barry Switzer's sins, for Christsake.

Oklahoma must know that Texas doesn't have an escape plan (save for going independent) or that the Pac-12 will neuter Bevo TV far beyond what has been mentioned in the press.

 
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