OU Heading West?

Orangebloods.com reports that OU “will apply for membership to the Pac-12 before the end of the month, and Oklahoma State is expected to follow suit.”

That’s according to a “source close to OU's administration.”

“If OU follows through with what appears to be a unanimous sentiment on the seven-member Oklahoma board of regents to leave the Big 12, realignment in college athletics could be heating back up. OU's application would be matched by an application from Oklahoma State, the source said, even though OSU president Burns Hargis and mega-booster Boone Pickens both voiced their support for the Big 12 last Thursday.”

There is “differing sentiment about if the Pac-12 presidents and chancellors are ready to expand again after bringing in Colorado and Utah last year and landing $3 billion TV contracts from Fox and ESPN.”

“Colorado president Bruce Benson told reporters last week CU would be opposed to any expansion that might bring about east and west divisions in the Pac-12.”

Sounds like Texas might stay out, at least for now, pending some more work on the logistics of how their network would factor in:

“If Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were accepted into the Pac-12, there would undoubtedly be a hope by Larry Scott that Texas would join the league. But Texas sources have indicated UT is determined to hang onto the Longhorn Network, which would not be permissible in the Pac-12 in its current form.”

“Texas sources continue to indicate to Orangebloods.com that if the Big 12 falls apart, the Longhorns would consider ‘all options.’”

I think it goes without saying at this point that any reporting based on “sources,” regardless of the outlet, needs to be taken with a serious grain of salt.

But Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman did just offer this update on Twitter which would seem to line up with the report:

“A UT group including its president and two ADs flew to Norman on Sunday for last-ditch effort to try to keep OU in the Big 12.”