New-look Pac-10 may use zipper

Not that Colorado was in any position to dictate terms to the Pac-10, but CU athletic director Mike Bohn was adamant about the Buffs being in the same division with USC and UCLA. That’s where the largest group of out-of-state alumni lives. That’s where Colorado wants to recruit again. Word got out, and the Pacific Northwest and Bay Area schools were mad. They recruit down there too. You can’t build a program recruiting Pullman High. CU may not be in a South Division, but Bohn could still get his wish to visit L.A. frequently. That’s thanks to an intriguing division formula called the zipper. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s because it’s never been done. Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott wasn’t hired from the World Tennis Association to maintain the Pac-10’s stodgy status quo. The zipper would separate the Pac-10’s obvious geographic rivalries into separate divisions. For example: Division A — Washington, Oregon, California, UCLA, Arizona, Utah. Division B — Washington State, Oregon State, Stanford, USC, Arizona State, Colorado. Everyone would play five league games in their division plus their archrival. They would play three more teams from the other division on a rotating basis for a nine-game schedule. Flip the schools anyway you like. Everyone would still get their cherished trip to L.A. and maintain their annual cross-state bloodbath at season’s end. – Denver Post

Pac 10 rivalries jeopardized by expansion

Now that the Pac 10 has the 12-team — not 16 — membership it has wanted all year, the conference has to face the reality that expansion isn’t as easy as it sounds. Pac 10 Commissioner Larry Scott expects to meet with conference athletic directors in July to have preliminary discussions on how to split the teams into the two six-team divisions the NCAA requires for a conference to host a championship game. Looking at the list of teams, no matter how you let it shake out, someone is going to be furious. You can either keep all the California teams together, with the Arizona teams, which would leave the Pacific Northwest, and new members Utah and Colorado. Or you can split the California teams and take it from there. Either way, it’s going to be ugly, the kind of ugly that happens when money kills longstanding rivalries. – Contra Costa Times

Pac-10 boss defends move to add Colorado

Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott asked if the decision to invite Colorado — before knowing the Texas end-game — meant that his revenue models indicated expansion definitely would be worthwhile in a 12-team league … that the 1/12th revenue split would be greater than a 1/10th split. “I’m absolutely confident that it’s additive in terms of value,” he said. “A football championship is additive. Now, if we chose not to have one, that would take away from any uplift. “But given the TV strategies that we plan on pursuing” — he wouldn’t get specific on those strategies; I tried — “we felt the media markets and the athletic programs (Colorado and Utah) would add significant value.” –San Jose Mercury News

Dan Hawkins on thin ice at Colorado

Newly minted Pac-10 member school Colorado has what may be a lame duck football coach in Dan Hawkins. [As regent Michael Carrigan declared: "I look forward to the Buffs beating Nebraska in the Rose Bowl!"], a stiff-lipped Hawkins stood like a wallflower at the back of the room and was ignored when CU big shots gathered for celebration photos. No one cares about his opinion regarding where the Buffs play in the future, Hawkins admitted. Asked what Hawkins needs to do to be the coach when the Buffs open Pac-10 competition, athletic director Mike Bohn replied: “I think it’s really irrelevant at this point. (This move) is not about Dan Hawkins and 2012. We understand the stakes that are in place, and Dan understands that. He knows our expectations are higher this year.” Hawk seems to be a dead Buff walking. – The Denver Post

Utah set to join Pac-10

It’ll soon be official. After lengthy speculation, the Pac-10 has extended a membership offer to the University of Utah. A formal announcement is set for Utah’s Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday. The public is invited to attend the 12:30 p.m. gathering, set for the sixth floor at the Rice-Eccles Stadium Tower. The only item on the agenda is the “discussion of athletic conference,” which will be presented to the board for its approval. A news conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. After efforts by Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott to lure Big 12 members Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech out West failed over the weekend, various media reports targeted Utah as the institution most likely to join Colorado (a Big 12 defector) in the expanded conference. Although Scott’s hopes of establishing a 16-school superconference failed to materialize, the so-called Pac-12 now has enough teams to hold a lucrative football championship game — something the NCAA allows for leagues with at least 12 members. Beginning as early as 2011, the Utes will compete for such an opportunity against the Colorado Buffaloes, as well as Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington and Washington State. The Utes will reportedly be placed in the Southern Division with Arizona, ASU, Colorado, UCLA and USC. – Deseret News

Report: Longhorns might commit to new Big 12 (10)

In a bombshell development that could bring a halt to seismic changes in college realignment, sources tell Orangebloods.com Texas is willing to come to the table with the 10 remaining Big 12 schools to see if there’s consensus for a plan put forth by commissioner Dan Beebe to hold the conference together. UT officials were expected to reach out to the other schools around the league on Monday to see if the Big 12 can be saved with 10 teams. Such a move would appear to at least put on hold a courtship between Texas and the Pac-10, which all but seemed solidified as of Friday when Nebraska announced it was heading to the Big Ten and Colorado had a press conference with its new commissioner - Larry Scott of the Pac-10. But as it became clear over the weekend that Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State appeared ready join the Pac-10 and Texas A&M appeared ready to join the SEC, Beebe was able to obtain assurances that a TV deal could be reached paying each of the 10 remaining members of the Big 12 between $14 million and $17 million. Under Beebe’s plan, schools would also be able to explore their own distribution platforms, including networks. Texas would not be able to pursue those options in the Pac-10, which is planning to launch a conference network in 2012 and would require schools to turn over all of their inventory. The big question now is if Texas A&M, which, according to Orangebloods.com, has the votes on its nine-member Board of Regents to join the Southeastern Conference, would reconsider a possible move to the SEC and remain in the Big 12 with its long-time, in-state rival. – Orangebloods.com

Aggies likely headed to SEC; OU next?

Multiple sources tell Orangebloods.com that Texas A&M has enough votes on its nine-member Board of Regents to join the Southeastern Conference and could announce that move as early as next week.A source close to the situation said A&M has an invitation from the SEC if it wants it. SEC commissioner Mike Slive was in College Station on Saturday meeting with A&M officials, according to sources, although A&M athletic director Bill Byrne was in Idaho. The sources said the A&M regents who favor the move to the SEC outnumber those who favor staying with longtime rival Texas in a move to the Pac-10… According to sources, SEC commissioner Mike Slive and A&M are working feverishly to convince Oklahoma to join the SEC with the Aggies rather than follow Texas to the Pac-10. There is speculation among a few schools in the Big 12 that if OU had to choose between the Pac-10 and SEC, it would choose the SEC. But sources close to OU say, up to this point, the Sooners have made a decision to go with Texas and not break up one of college football’s most unique rivalries. – Orangebloods.com

Strong Ramifications for Aggies if move made to SEC

Two sources told me late Thursday afternoon that it has been expressed to the Aggies that a move to the SEC would be viewed as an athletics act of war because it is important to the other schools involved to keep the SEC out of this state as a major presence - both in recruiting and in terms of market reach. Although there haven’t been any hard line threats, there’s a feeling from all of the schools from the Big 12 South that A&M would become dead to them as an athletics partner and it’s very likely that they wouldn’t be scheduled by Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in any sport… for a very, very long time. When we talk about the loss of tradition in this move for A&M, we’re not talking about the school song or the bonfire. We’re talking about the ability to pursue any existing competition in any sport - not in football, basketball, baseball, poker, lawn darts… nothing. No more Lone Star State Showdown. Also, my sources indicate that this is not a UT-led initiative and that all of the schools are in firm agreement that an A&M move to the SEC would need to be met with pretty stiff repercussions. The bottom line is that there will be a lot of political jostling over the course of the next few days and into early next week. Look for the other four schools to sit back, watch and wait for Texas A&M to figure out who they are. Texas wants A&M sitting shotgun on the ride to the Pac-10. If A&M wants out of the car, they won’t be let back in. – Orangebloods.com

Oklahoma State sitting pretty, thanks to T. Boone Pickens

Oklahoma State is among the schools that look to have a soft place to land as one of the Big 12 programs that will likely join the Pac-10. It has always been lumped in with Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. It has always been part of that group of refugees that have been offered shelter. “We’re in,” Boone Pickens said of being among the Big 12 schools offered membership into the Pac-10. “It cost us, but we’re in.” Cost them to upgrade football. Cost them to move up in the pecking order. But consider the cost of not doing that. Where would the Cowboys be now? Every chance that they have gotten, OSU officials have shown off their new football palace. Any time any high-profile, well-connected person is in Stillwater, they get a tour of everything. “Either get competitive,” Pickens said, “or you’re gonna lose out.” Without Pickens, the Cowboys would’ve done the latter. They would’ve lost out in the conference realignment shuffle. They would’ve been calling the Mountain West or Conference USA and hoping for an invite. – Oklahoman

Aggies, Longhorns may be split

Are Texas and Texas A&M breaking up? The latest difference of opinion could define a changing college landscape for decades. Texas and three other schools in the Big 12 Conference’s South Division are looking west to the Pacific-10 Conference as the best hope for their future with the expected demise of their home for the last 14 years. But Texas A&M would like to at least survey the options in a different part of the country, in the Southeastern Conference, sources familiar with the process outlined. – The Dallas Morning News

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