Big 12’s Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech discussing Pac-12 move

Published 2:49 pm Monday, September 19, 2011

DALLAS — Texas and the Pac-12 are close enough in discussions that a 16-team superconference that would also include Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech could be about to unfold.

And events are unstable enough that a repeat of the June 2010, when the deal fell apart in 24 hours, rem

ains possible.

Either extreme could happen. The picture may become clearer after the Texas and Oklahoma regents authorize their presidents Monday to oversee all matters related to conference alignment.

Texas Tech president Guy Bailey called the landscape “a particularly sensitive time in conference realignment discussions” while declining to comment further.

At least two Big 12 school sources indicated that a deal for Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to join an expanded Pac-12 could be achieved by the end of the week.

“It’s a lot closer to being done than the alternative. … There’s a little work left to be done,” one of the sources said.

The idea of a realignment rush developed after the Atlantic Coast Conference quickly poached Pittsburgh and Syracuse this weekend. Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin told a pay-per-view audience watching the Aggies’ football win over Idaho that he expected his school to overcome its hurdles with Southeastern Conference membership in several days.

But another source cautioned against drawing conclusions too soon and said that for Texas “all options remain on the table — including the ACC.” Texas officials were described as looking at the possibilities throughout Sunday. Another Big 12 school source indicated that the ACC deferred quick action on adding Connecticut and Rutgers because Texas remained in play.

A deal was considered a formality in June 2010 when Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott met with Texas officials about joining. Instead, the Big 12 survived and the Pac-10 expanded by just two schools.

Things are different this year. Media reports from the Pac-12 indicate the schools could be content with 12 teams.

The Longhorn Network, a concept last year, is reality now. While a downsized version of the startup network could be worked into the Pac-12’s national and regional networks, sources cautioned that league presidents, Texas and ESPN would all to have agree on a compromise.

“This deal could happen real quickly or not happen at all,” a college football source said.

To overcome travel and preserve geographic rivalries, the Pac-16 would most likely pursue a four-team pod system that would include Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, sources said.

Scott acknowledged Saturday at the Texas-UCLA game that the Pac-12 even considered a similar possibility before this season.

“Our conference is very well set up for that,” Scott said. “We have very distinct geographic territories and we have two members in each market, so we have a lot of flexibility and creativity we can bring to how we align divisions.”

In the event of a Pac-16, the five remaining Big 12 teams, including Baylor, could retool with the remaining schools from the Big East and future member TCU, sources said.

While lacking the New York media market, the Big 12 would be a far more profitable survivor. The Big East only mandates $5 million in exit fees. Based on the estimated $28 million exit fee for Texas A&M, the remaining Big 12 teams could be looking at as much as $140 million if five teams depart. The Big 12 also has a BCS tie-in in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, while the Big East lacks a bowl affiliation for its champion.