Pac-12 powerhouses UCLA, USC joining Big Ten Conference in 2024

Southern California and UCLA will leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, the schools officially announced via press releases Thursday evening.

The two schools reached out to the Big Ten and were not pursued, multiple people with knowledge of the deliberations told USA TODAY Sports. The move would occur for the 2024 season. The Big Ten may not be done expanding.

The people were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the negotiations.

USC and UCLA are the two dominant brands in the Pac-12 and the largest and most successful athletics departments on the West Coast.

Losing the two schools to the Big Ten is devastating for the Pac-12 and will lead to another round of conference realignment impacting every league in the Power Five.

In a statement, the Big Ten confirmed all sports would shift over for the 2024-25 academic season and the move "remains subject to negotiation of final terms."

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FALLOUT: College football's future appears to be two super-conferences

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"This is the most volatile and uncertain era in the history of American collegiate athletics," USC athletics director Mike Bohn said in a statement. "USC must ensure it is best positioned and prepared for whatever happens next, and it is our responsibility to always evaluate potential opportunities and be willing to make changes when needed.

"Ultimately, the Big Ten is the best home for USC and Trojan athletics as we move into the new world of collegiate sports."

Adding the two schools will bring the Big Ten membership to 16, equaling the number of schools set to be in the SEC once Texas and Oklahoma join the conference from the Big 12 in 2025.

The addition expands the league’s footprint well beyond its traditional Midwest roots and creates the first Football Bowl Subdivision “super conference” constructed largely without regard for geography.

In a statement, the Pac-12 Conference wrote that it was "extremely surprised and disappointed by the news coming out of USC and UCLA today."

"We've long been known as the Conference of Champions, and we're unwavering in our commitment to extend that title. We will continue to develop new and innovative programs that directly benefit our member institutions, and we look forward to partnering with current and potential members to pioneer the future of college athletics together," the Pac-12 said.

UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block and athletics director Martin Jarmond wrote in a joint statement that "seismic changes in collegiate athletics" in recent years "have made us evaluate how best to support our student-athletes as we move forward."

"For us, this move offers greater certainty in rapidly changing times and ensures that we remain a leader in college athletics for generations to come," they wrote.

Block and Jarmond also noted that a move to the Big Ten "offers Bruins exciting new competitive opportunities and a broader national media platform for our student-athletes to compete and showcase their talents. Specifically, this move will enhance Name, Image and Likeness opportunities through greater exposure for our student-athletes and offer new partnerships with entities across the country."

The financial incentives for UCLA and USC to make this move are powerful.

What UCLA, USC bring to Big Ten trophy case: Both programs have major hardware

In fiscal 2019, the last year unaffected by the pandemic, the Big Ten distributed about $55.6 million to each of its 12 longest-standing members (Maryland and Rutgers received smaller shares) while the Pac-12 distributed about $32.3 million, according to the conferences’ federal tax records.

The gap in per-school distributions was even wider in fiscal 2021, the most recent year for which the conferences’ tax records are available. The Big Ten’s basic distribution was about $48.9 million per school – and that was with Maryland and Rutgers receiving full shares for the first time – while the Pac-12’s was about $19.8 million.

As a private school, USC does not make public its annual athletics financial reports to the NCAA.

UCLA’s recent reports have been bleak. After having balanced budgets for more than a decade, UCLA’s athletics program has faced significant financial problems in each of the past three fiscal years, racking up a combined operating deficit of more than $103 million according to data compiled by USA TODAY Sports in partnership with the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Data project at Syracuse University.

In 2019, it reported an annual operating deficit of $18.9 million. In 2020, that figure grew to $21.7 million. And in 2021 – the year in which college sports programs faced the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – the annual deficit ballooned to $62.5 million.

In 2020, The (San Jose) Mercury News reported that the 2019 deficit would be covered by an interest-bearing loan from the campus’ central fund. Although USA TODAY Sports asked in writing in 2021 how the 2020 deficit would be addressed, a school spokesperson did not provide that information.

This past January, when UCLA reported its financial figures for 2021, a school spokesman provided USA TODAY Sports a statement that pointed not only to the pandemic, but also a set of other factors, including the athletics department receiving far less money from the university and student fees than other schools – about $2.5 million to $2.7 million annually.

The University of California System’s other Pac-12 school, California-Berkeley, has received more than $18 million in such funding in each of the past two years. University and athletics department officials there have acknowledged that nearly $85 million in annual operating deficits from 2015 through 2019 weren’t treated as accumulated debt, to be repaid by the athletics department at some point. They were simply covered by the university.

In 2021, Arizona State provided its athletics department with $62.3 million in institutional funding to help with the effects of the pandemic, along with $11.3 million in student fee support (the athletics department reported transferring $6.2 million back to the university). But in a typical year, Arizona State’s athletics department has received net totals of more than $15 million in school and student-fee money.

Contributing: Dan Wolken and Steve Berkowitz

Follow colleges reporter Paul Myerberg on Twitter @PaulMyerberg

If USC and UCLA are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, Oregon ...

EUGENE, Ore. — On Thursday afternoon, a bit of seismic news was reported that could shake up the Pac-12 and Big Ten.

USC and UCLA are negotiating to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten conference, multiple people with knowledge of the deliberations told USA TODAY Sports. The people were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing negotiations.

UCLA, USC to Big Ten: College football's future is 2 super ...

With Southern California and UCLA leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten in 2024, college football is taking an irreversible step toward the construction of two major conferences at the expense of tradition and the remaining Power Five leagues.

While viewed in administrative circles as a possibility since the first round of significant conference realignment a decade ago, the birth of these super leagues creates a chasm of space between the rest of the current Football Bowl Subdivision and the SEC and Big Ten.

USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12 is the clearest signal yet that the top level of college football will center on dozens of teams married not by geography, rivalry or history but the chase for increasingly large media-rights payouts and broadcast deals.

Instead of merely a possibility, these super-conferences are now here.

Now that this latest conference realignment is official, the fallout will be swift and seismic.

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While the Big 12 was able to partially offset losing Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC by gobbling up the best teams from the American, the Pac-12 will have no options among the Group of Five ranks even remotely close to matching the reputation, success and television appeal of the two Los Angeles-based schools.

The Pac-12 could next lose Oregon and Washington, the next two members with the draw and support to be an option for further West Coast expansion.

In that scenario, the Pac-12 would need to dip deep in the Group of Five — for Boise State and San Diego State, to start — just to create a lineup of schools with enough relevance to simply maintain existence in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Even in the hypothetical where the Pac-12 and Big 12 merge, that league would still be miles behind the SEC and Big Ten in terms of overall competitiveness in the race for the national championship.

That leaves the Pac-12 with only one hope: That the Big Ten accepts the entire conference, warts and all, perhaps motivated by the longstanding relationship with the conference built through the Rose Bowl.

But doing so would dilute the Big Ten’s overall strength and do nothing to move the needle during the league’s current TV rights negotiations.

Instead of going deeper into the Pac-12, both the Big Ten and SEC could take aim at the best available programs elsewhere: Clemson, Florida State, Miami and the top tier of the ACC, along with Notre Dame.

While the Irish aren’t subject to the same concerns, the flagbearers in the ACC would be motivated to change conferences for the same reason USC and UCLA jumped ship: ACC schools will make millions less per year than the SEC and Big Ten schools, with the total set to grow dramatically when the Big Ten signs its new TV deal.

USC and UCLA are the tipping point for a new world order. Eventually, every school with designs on competing for the national championship will push and shove in an attempt to get to the front of the line and beat the crowd into one of the two super-conferences.

That may result in the second major shakeup in the divisional structure of college football in the past 50 years, following the creation of Division I and Division I-AA (later renamed the FBS and Football Championship Subdivision) in 1978. This time, the split will place the two super leagues in one tier and the rest of the current FBS in another.

The unofficial gap between the haves and have nots will have a clear line of demarcation. The future of college football is clear: two super-conferences will be centerstage.

Follow colleges reporter Paul Myerberg on Twitter @PaulMyerberg

Hocutt 'not pleased' at Big 12's exclusion from other conferences ...

Texas Tech athletics director Kirby Hocutt expressed irritation this weekend about the Big 12 being left out of reported talks among three other power-five conferences who want to work together to counter the growing power of the Southeastern Conference.

The Athletic reported Friday that "high-level discussions" are going on among leaders of the Pac-12, the Big Ten and the Atlantic Coast Conference about forming an alliance and a voting bloc, one that would not include the Big 12 apparently.

Pac-12, Big 12 merger: How conferences joining forces could look

PHOENIX — The Pac-12 has 12 schools. With Oklahoma and Texas set to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, that conference will soon have just eight.

Might they merge to form a Pac-20 Conference or perhaps a Big 20? How about a Super Pac-20?

According to multiple reports, the commissioners of the Pac-12 and Big 12 met Tuesday to discuss how the conferences might benefit from working together or maybe even merge.

The merging part has us very interested.

A full merger of the Big 12 and Pac-12 would create a 20-team conference with schools in every major U.S. time zone, something no other conference has.

That would make it unique and potentially pretty valuable in the ever-important TV contract discussions for conferences.

What could a Big 12 and Pac-12 merger look like?

Here's some possibilities to split up the conference, should the Pac-12 and Big 12 decide it is in their best interests to join forces.

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Keep the two-division model

It would not be hard for the Pac-12 to continue with a North and South division by just slotting in the Big 12 teams into one of those divisions.

The Pac-12 North could keep Washington, Washington State, Stanford, California, Oregon and Oregon State, and add Iowa State, West Virginia, Kansas and Kansas State.

The Pac-12 South could keep USC, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado and add Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma State.

Another option in the two division model?

Split the conference by West and East.

The old Pac-12 could be in one division and the conference could potentially put Utah and Colorado in the other division with the eight Big 12 schools.

Either of these potential options would allow the conference to pit the winners of the two divisions against each other in the conference title game.

How about a four-division model?

Would splitting a possible Big-12 and Pac-12 super-conference into four divisions work out better geographically?

It could keep regional rivalries intact, too.

One option in this format could be putting ASU and Arizona with the Texas schools: TCU, Baylor and Texas Tech.

Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and West Virginia could be in another division, with Utah, Colorado, UCLA, USC and either Stanford or California.

The final division could pit Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State and either Stanford or California.

If the conference wanted to split up the Big 12 schools more it could realign the divisions to put Iowa State with the Washington and Oregon schools, West Virginia and Oklahoma State with Colorado and the Kansas schools and perhaps Arizona and ASU with the Texas schools.

Utah could go with the four California schools.

In this situation, the conference could potentially have the four division winners face off in a mini-playoff to determine the conference champion.

Other options

Perhaps the Big 12 and Pac-12 decide it is not in their best interests to merge, or perhaps some teams (like West Virginia or Iowa State) decide to go to another conference closer to them geographically, making a possible Big 12/Pac-12 conference not as big after a potential merger.

Maybe the Pac-12 decides it's best to just stand pat with its 12 teams or perhaps add schools like BYU or Boise State.

But thinking about potential conference expansion and realignment definitely adds some intrigue to the college football season.

Those conferences and their member institutions have some decisions to make that will alter the college athletics landscape.

Follow Jeremy Cluff on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

Pac-12 football lose ASU, USC, Oregon, Washington, UCLA to Big 12?

Before Colorado and Utah joined the Pac-10 to form the Pac-12, there was talk of the Pac-12 poaching Oklahoma, Texas and some other Big 12 schools to form a super-conference in what could have been known as the Pac-16.

Well, what if the Big 12 returned the favor and poached some teams from the Pac-12?

The Athletic's Andy Staples discussed the topic on his latest podcast.

He brought up the idea of USC, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon and Washington joining the Big 12 (which actually only has 10 teams).

"The Big 12 is not as poorly run as people outside of Big 12 country think," Staples said on the Andy Staples Show podcast. "The Big 12 is actually pretty well run and it has a pretty good set of TV deals, not as good as the SEC and the Big Ten, but pretty good and then the bigger you are the more you make off those third-tier rights. Texas has the Longhorn Network, Oklahoma has its deal with Fox. Even Kansas and Iowa State have pretty good deals, so, the Big 12 is just sitting there with 10 schools and a really good TV deal and they have a TV deal coming up. The year before the Big 12's TV deal expires, the Pac-12's TV deal expires.

Staples said what the Big 12 needs to do is raid the Pac-12.

"The Big 12 needs to go to USC, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon and Washington and say, 'are you tired of not getting any money from your league? Are you tired of not getting any money out of your third-tier rights? Well, come join us because all together as 16-team league we would command a huge primary television package, we would command a huge secondary television package, you then would then be able to sell your third-tier for whatever you want," Staples said.

The Big 12 would be able to add the media markets of Los Angeles, Phoenix and Seattle.

"It would be doable, that's the thing. The Pac-12 is in such a weakened state right now," Staples said. "This is something the Big 12 could pull off."

MORE:There's a lull in conference-realignment talk, but another round could be coming

College football realignment talk has cooled off in recent years. The Big 12 has been linked to programs like BYU and Boise State as possible future members, but that talk quieted. The last major conference realignment for Power 5 conferences happened when Rutgers and Maryland moved to the Big Ten in 2014.

The Pac-12's last move came when Colorado and Utah joined the conference in 2012.

Staples wondered if the Big 12 could possibly shake up the college athletics landscape with a big move like adding those Pac-12 schools when the conference's TV deal expires in 2024.

"Think about that league: Texas, Oklahoma, TCU, Oklahoma State, Baylor, USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington, the Arizona schools, that's a pretty fun league," Staples said. "You could divide it a couple of different ways … but from a television standpoint it would be great."

It wouldn't be good for the Pac-12 schools that weren't included, Staples said, but the move for the other Pac-12 schools would be a good one.

"They are the only safe harbor at this point, there's nowhere else to go," Staples said. "So, I am very curious to see how aggressive the Big 12 would be in something like this because they really could gut the Pac-12 if they wanted to, and create a very strong league that would be, I don't know if it is the financial rival of the Big Ten or the SEC, but it would command a pretty good TV deal."

Staples said that schools such as Oregon and USC could be attracted to the Big 12 by the possibility of having their own network, like Texas with the Longhorn Network.

Crossroads for the Pac-12

Staples' comments come at a time when the Pac-12 could be reaching a crossroads.

There appears to be some growing discord in commissioner Larry Scott and the lack of TV revenue for the conference compared to other conferences.

CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd wrote that the latest estimates for Pac-12 Networks "have the league at least $17 million per school annually behind the Big Ten, the revenue leader among conferences. At $33 million per school, the Pac-12 is fifth in the Power Five."

The Pac-12's TV agreement with ESPN and Fox expires in 2024.

USC athletic director Mike Bohn recently said that "everything is on the table" in terms of the Trojans' future conference affiliation.

Bohn later clarified his stance on the future of the Trojans to Dodd.

"It was not malicious," Bohn told CBS Sports referring to his comments.

"There's no talk of (leaving), but guess what? If it was on the table, we would certainly explore that," Bohn said. "But I've got to be careful. The league is really tender. The context that I was talking about was whether it was league TV stuff, creative pieces with any other type of deliverable, it has to be on the table. Guess what? If that helps [the league] understand the importance of what our campuses are going through, so be it.

"I don't want to walk it back, but hopefully that gives it a little more context."

Speculation surrounding Pac-12's future

Speculation continues to surround the future of the conference.

Oregon Live's John Canzano recently wrote that Oregon should follow USC's example and put the Pac-12 conference on notice about its future.

"The Ducks have a wonderful and valuable brand," Canzano wrote. "They’ve got a rabid fan base that connects nationally. Athletic director Rob Mullens is coming off being the chair of the College Football Playoff selection committee. Mario Cristobal’s football program is viewed as a contender. Kelly Graves’ women’s basketball program looks like a strong bet to reach the Final Four and is a huge national television draw. If he hasn’t already, University of Oregon President Michael Schill may look around and wonder why the Ducks are stuck in a sad-sack conference led by a commissioner who operates with his own self interests. Schill is an interesting part of the equation. He has a seat on the Pac-12 CEO Group, which means he’s one of Scott’s bosses. Also, he’s tuned into the issues. … This isn’t about UO leaving the Pac-12. It’s about Oregon being eyes-wide-open and increasing its leverage within the conference. Because if the financials don’t improve in the next cycle, something drastic may have to be done."

247 Sports had a podcast wondering about whether Oregon should consider leaving the Pac-12.

The Salt Lake Tribune's Gordon Monson was critical of the state of the Pac-12 in a recent column.

"The Pac-12 is becoming a laughingstock among its so-called peers, a kind of Hot Dog On a Stick mid-major conference dressed out in a goofy hat and a striped uniform, masquerading as a P5, attempting to compete against fine dining," he wrote. "It is a McDonalds to the SEC’s and the Big Ten’s Ruth’s Chris, the ACC’s and the Big 12’s Fleming’s. It is busy flipping and grilling cheeseburgers while the others are searing prime cuts of ribeye and filet mignon. … Bad decisions made by poor leadership in the Pac-12 have led to a decline in both revenue streams from and competitive success in the biggest sports. That’s why the best football coaches in the league — David Shaw at Stanford and Kyle Whittingham at Utah — gain only a fraction of the winning and the remuneration as the best coaches in the SEC — Nick Saban — and the ACC — Dabo Swinney."

Oklahoma State football fans angry about conference realignment

Conference realignment is an evergreen topic in the sports marketplace, and the OU/Texas move to the Southeastern Conference has many layers. Including the schools left behind in the Big 12.

On Wednesday, I shared a batch of emails from readers talking about the SEC. Today, I share a batch of emails talking about the Big 12 and what OSU should do or could have done.

The Thursday ScissorTales offer another Orange Beach travelblog and a Bill Hancock Olympic adventure, but we start with conference realignment.

Readers chimed in on issues ranging from conference options to OU’s secrecy to OSU leadership.

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Danny: “If those that remain in the Big 12 could bring some teams in and possibly get rid of West Virginia, they should look at that as well as other options.”

Tramel: Well, I don’t think losing West Virginia is any kind of pathway to success. The Mountaineers are a solid TV draw, compared to most of the Big 12. But I do think it would be foolish to dismiss the Big 12 as a viable option. That might be the best plan B for most Big 12 schools, and Plan A for some. OSU must keep all its options open.

Kevin: “FYI, OSU is prohibited by Big 12 bylaws from negotiating with any other conference. Surprised you would encourage OSU to violate that trust.”

Tramel: Great point. Which is why OSU, in dealing with the Pac-12, should follow the OU/Texas plan. My people will call your people. Lawyers make the world go round.

Chris: “Hey, Berry, what if the Big 12 wanted to play hardball and told UT/OU that if you want out, then you’re out as of right now! Have fun playing football this year. It might bring them to the negotiating table. Thinking out loud.”

Tramel: Well, I think OU and Texas are at the negotiating table already. But either way, there are contracts to consider, and the biggest consideration would be the networks. They would drop holy hell on those eight schools, as well as dropping the current TV contract, which would be a death-knell to those eight schools. They would be ostracized for anything in the future concerning TV. I wouldn't recommend it. This is the time to make friends, not enemies.

David: “Full disclosure. ‘72 alum, Sigma Chi and loved the OSU Experience. Retired and living in Virginia Beach and follow the Pokes religiously. Of course all options are open but are they? Are the Pokes limited? Reviving the conference is a non-starter. So what to do? Keep Holder/Hargis. Can’t allow rookies to negotiate the most important deal in the history of OSU.”

Tramel: I’m told Holder absolutely remains in the brain trust. Hargis, I’m not sure. Probably, but again, I don’t know that. It should be all hands on deck for the Cowboys.

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Terry: “Being an attorney whose first loyalty is to OSU, I have a different perspective. You say making OU and Texas wait out the four years cuts against the grain of history. That was precisely the purpose of the contract. To deter any school from doing what OU and Texas did. OU agreed to that and now they will apparently want leniency. By design, the contract had a punitive purpose. I disagree with you that if OU/Texas forces the Big 12 to dissolve that the dissolution somehow exonerates the schools who caused the dissolution. In fact, if the dissolution is caused by OU/Texas, then the conference and remaining schools will have an even better cause of action for actual damages. The assignment of TV rights is, in legal vernacular, a type of liquidated damage provision. So if dissolution is caused by OU/Texas, I don’t see a court giving them a free pass. I am reasonably sure they will work hard to negotiate their way out. And if the conference dissolves before four years is up and Big 12 schools find a decent new home, OU/Texas might get off if payout remains at $35 million year in a new conference.”

Tramel: Interesting. And I’m sure Terry knows what he’s talking about. But so few of these cases ever goes to court. There’s always anger and disagreement, followed by negotiation and settlement. I saw this week where the Ohio Valley is suing Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State for not paying a $1 million exit fee. But with the larger conferences, these things get worked out. Even with the Big East and Atlantic Coast conferences; ACC pilfering of the Big East led to the Big East basically splitting, its basketball schools leaving and taking the name, while the remaining football schools helped form the American Conference. So I don’t know. There is nothing to sue over yet. OU and Texas declared they are leaving after the 2024-25 season. They gave the Big 12 ample notice. Both will negotiate to leave. It might make financial sense for the Big 12 to say, no thanks. We’ll have to see.

Doug: “Wow. Who would have ever thought that the Longhorn Network would ever payoff for the Sooners? Would Texas and Oklahoma keep the Big 12 logo on their uniforms and fields? That’s got to be contractual, too. But the more acrimony there is, the more petty it becomes. It only takes one more team to tip the balance. Could it be West Virginia to the ACC, which has about the same payout as the Big 12? Clemson sources say the Tigers and Florida State are putting out feelers to the SEC. Too late? Oklahoma State is in the strongest marketable position but they can’t wait on a dissolving Big 12. Kansas schools and Iowa State should already be talking to the Big Ten. As for Baylor, TCU, Tech does anyone care? Probably not. Prediction: This is the last year for the Big 12. Fifty years from now people will still be talking about July 30, 2021 in college football.”

Tramel: Maybe. But I doubt it. All those scenarios are possible, but none are probable. Keeping the Big 12 together might be the best play for the schools. Add a couple of marketable mid-majors like Brigham Young and Boise State, which to be viable no longer have to meet the TV-worth standard of a Big 12 that includes OU and Texas, but a Big 12 that does not include OU and Texas.

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Nim: I think we would call Shrum’s assertion, if it were a political campaign, ‘appealing to the base.’ I wonder what segment of her base sees her comments as disingenuous? Had OSU had similar opportunities, i.e. a fabulous prospect directed at them because of their brand, would they have acted differently? What, exactly would they have done, given the sensitivity of the discussions and the question of whether to share with their in-state rival? There is a negative here associated with strategic maneuvering for big money, but it is both pervasive and reasonably expected by all. I think Prez Shrum would have done the same had OSU been in OU’s place.”

Tramel: It would have been administrative malfeasance not to. I ought to write about this more. The simple fact is that OU and OSU were not the partners that OSU thought. Maybe that’s OU’s fault, through deception, maybe that’s OSU’s fault, through naivete. I don’t know which. And like I wrote, I don’t blame Shrum for kicking up dust. Cowboy Country is mad, and Shrum needs to use that emotion to OSU’s advantage. Just don’t pretend Pistol Pete is riding some high horse. Presented the same opportunity, OSU should have and would have done the same thing.

Nixon: “I understand the money. I personally think they could have gotten the same result if they had come out up front and said. ‘We (OU) don't think the Big 12 can keep up financially. Then opened up with SEC discussions, etc. and arrived at where they are today. What really pissed me off was the subterfuge with their sworn enemy (UT) to the detriment of OSU. Just seemed unnecessary to me and won't forgive them anytime soon. The Stoops article did not help. Truly, I believe the new OU prez (Joe Harroz) was the instigator. Hopefully Chad Weiberg & Kayse Shrum will forgo Bedlam for at least five years and maybe 10.”

Tramel: I think that’s just emotional talk. OSU would be no better off if it had been kept in the loop by OU. And the Sooners might be worse off, since OSU would have done what it did eight weeks ago when it discovered OU was not interested in extending the grant of rights — petition the governor to help stop it.

Terry: “I take offense at you comparing dollar figures from different years. The $60M (for OU in the SEC) is planning when the most current release from SEC was $43M, Big 12 $37M. Either use an apples to apples comparison or leave the $$ talk to Stoops and his current superior at UT, Sarkisian. Remember "Figures Don't Lie but Liars do Figure. My point is if you are using base year as 2025 and SEC forecast of $60M, the rate for comparison to the Big 12 should be $38m plus X. Not the current year. What does $60M or $73M mean? Where did it come from? If it was estimated, as I think it was, then let’s estimate what the Big 12 would have been if they stayed, then we can say the estimated IMPROVEMENT for OU would be $xxxM.”

Tramel: The problem is, OU feared the estimated change in the Big 12 contract would not go up. It would go down. That's what I wrote about last week. The early signs from the networks was that the Big 12's value was in decline. Or would stagnate. And the SEC numbers are astronomical. We’ve been estimating $60 million, but USA Today projected the per-school payout could be $73 million by 2025.

Tramel's ScissorTales:OSU must make itself attractive to TV networks as OU, Texas exit Big 12

Ken: “Your very thoughtful and rational work really covered this situation well. I’m not an OU fan, but being in the investment business, I understand why OU couldn’t resist the allure of an extra $22 million to play Alabama. But I also see why Dr. Shrum felt the pain caused by that move. You’re right — we just all need to take a deep breath and let all this work out, which it will. Also, don’t we need to remember that the No. 1 job of these schools is to educate our kids to make a living? (What an idea, huh?)”

Tramel: How dare you bring the A-word into the discussion. But in all seriousness, none of this is about academics. It’s all about big business. Big, serious business.

Randy: “Here is what the remaining Big 12 teams should do. 1) Don’t panic. Nothing is gained and you will be manipulated, like ESPN inviting teams to join the AAC thereby saving ESPN from paying the bigger bucks to the Big 12; 2) No early exit. Force Texas and Oklahoma to play in the Big 12; 3) Stay together and take the $1 billion in TV contracts for the next four years; 4) Take the exit fee for the two teams out of the Big 12 revenue money; 5) Probably can’t do it, but refuse to play on the Longhorn Network; 6) Force a delay of things. They will come out ahead in three or four years.”

Tramel: That’s certainly a viable strategy. Hardly anyone tries it, but playing the long game certainly would make things uncomfortable for OU and Texas. Make the plan public, so as to affect the Sooners’ and Longhorns’ recruiting. Let 2022 freshmen know they will see very little of the SEC. Financially, that might be the best plan, either sticking with it or putting OU and Texas and ESPN into difficult negotiating situations. But it has long-term risks. More OU domination of the conference will only further ding the profiles of the Big 12 remnants. Sure, an OSU or Iowa State or Texas Christian championship, at OU’s expense, could raise their stock. But OSU and the rest of the conference need to be plotting their future. If there’s a parachute out there, they need to strap it on and not worry about exit fees. Maybe some kind of Big 12/Pac-12 alliance can stabilize things. But absolutely, the Big 12 can make things unpleasant on the Sooners and Longhorns, at least for awhile. And that’s good not for revenge purposes, but for negotiating purposes.

Leo: “Sometimes the obvious can be very cruel. OSU's fearless leader is so completely outraged by OU's defection she leaps upon her high horse and shouts ‘FOUL. How dare an institution of higher learning be so greedy, self-centered and lacking empathy for those less fortunate.’ This coming from a woman whose university has named their most prized shrine after T. Boone Pickens. They have built a statute of this great man, billionaire, who had no match when it came to unbridled greed. She condemns OU for taking the money and running. T. Boone would take the money, and then buy all the other universities at a much discounted bargain price and sell their remaining parts off for scrap. This is shameless hypocrisy to the highest order.”

Tramel: I miss Boone. He treated me well and would call from time to time just to chat, see what was going on in Stillwater. I know a whole bunch of Texans view Boone the way Leo described him, but I liked him. And I wonder what he would say today. Would he be outraged at OU and Texas? Would he understand? Would he be able to help the Cowboys navigate the future? Fascinating to think about. I will investigate further.

Tyler: “OK, so I guess I am missing something here. I had the feeling that ESPN was the go-between with the SEC and UT/OU. To me it makes perfect sense for ESPN to throw their weight behind disbanding the Big 12. 1) They hold the rights to the SEC, ACC, AAC; 2) You get UT and OU in the SEC, it makes for better TV and eliminates the Longhorn Network (which seems like a win-win for them; 3) You make the ACC tougher by getting West Virginia; 4) You try to convince the other seven to go to the AAC (and most likely cut East Carolina, Tulane, and whoever else a check to go bye bye), which makes the AAC better. All that makes too much sense to me. I guess I must be crazy, because although they don't have great brands, it doesn't make a ton of sense to just let OSU athletics, Kansas basketball, Iowa State, K-State, Baylor and possibly Houston just walk without trying to keep them around. Understand I'm not complaining that they did it, I'm just saying why is it a shock that they would? It's in their best interest, is it not?”

Tramel: It’s in ESPN’s best interest to get OU and Texas away from the Big 12. That hurts Fox and gives ESPN an even bigger edge in the college football TV wars. But I fail to see why the demise of the Big 12 would be all that important to ESPN. I’m not saying it’s not true. I’m saying I don’t see why it would be. That talk of ESPN wanting the Big 12 to die so that OU and Texas wouldn’t have to pay buyout fees? What’s in it for ESPN? To me, the bigger question is what happens with ESPN and Texas, pertaining to the Longhorn Network. I know some have said ESPN will buy out Texas, and that money could be used to pay off the Big 12. Does ESPN and Texas have some kind of agreement that if UT doesn’t have to pay the Big 12, ESPN doesn’t have to pay Texas? Seems far-fetched to me. ESPN has contracts with literally every conference, so I don't see how they could care one way or the other. Why would ESPN care if Iowa State is in the Big 12 or the American? The only thing I could see is ESPN steering Big 12 schools to the American to keep them away from the Pac-12 and Fox. But that’s like trying to steer me to Brussell sprouts. Good luck. ESPN helped keep the Big 12 alive 11 years ago. Networks lose bargaining power the more conferences there are. The fewer the leagues, the less negotiating power for the networks.

Tramel:Why would OU, Texas explore a move from the Big 12 to the SEC? Money, money, money

Brett: “I'm more optimistic than I was when this started that OSU might find a home in the Pac-12. The Pac 12 is broken as a business now, so there would seem to be some motivation on their part to improve the marketability of their football product to media partners. One obvious thing would be to have a presence in the middle of the country. The state of Texas is obviously a huge market and OSU is the probably the best football program of any expansion options they would have. I also think there is a benefit to not being geographically isolated. All of the other conferences have geographic overlap which breeds resentment/interest which breeds discussion and eyeballs. Overlapping with the SEC in Texas and Oklahoma would make the Pac-12 not geographically isolated. I think the best pitch for expansion to the Pac 12 would be OSU, Tech, TCU and Houston. I recognize the Pac-12 is picky with regards to academics, but they might have to put those feelings aside if they're interested in fixing their football problem. There are some well established relationships among some of the power brokers that would be at the center of this hypothetical move. Chad Weiberg worked for Kirby Hocutt at Tech. Tech is probably the other obvious option for the Pac 12 if they expand. Weiberg's uncle is former Pac 12 executive and former Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg.”

Tramel: I think it's possible. Not with three Texas schools. There's no reason to take Houston, and I doubt the Pac-12 would be interested in a private school. But OSU, Tech, K-State (or KU) and Iowa State would be workable. The Pac's networks indeed could use some new eyeballs and some Central Time Zone teams. The best quartet probably would be OSU, Tech, TCU and K-State, if the Pac could see its way to take the Horned Frogs.

Donna: “Since OU is leaving because of football money, then should Bedlam resume, it can be in all sports except football. But my preference is not at all.”

Tramel: I will keep saying this until everyone gets it. If OSU quit playing football against OU, it would hurt OSU. Hurt OSU quite a bit. Having a Bedlam home game every other year is the most valuable asset the Cowboys currently can peddle to a network, in future contract negotiations. This is the time for OSU to beef up its schedule.

Kent: As an OSU alum, it’s a sad day for all our alumni and the Big 6/8/12. We are probably feeling how those of the Old Southwest Conference members felt when the four teams merged with the Big 12 and the other teams were left to fend for themselves. You mentioned that every other ‘power’ conference has the ‘oxen’ to carry the lower echelon teams, but of the eight Big 12 teams that are left, none are big enough to carry the rest onward. So say so long Big 12. I have a hard time seeing the Cowboys in the Big 10 (too academically inclined) or the ACC or the Pac-12 (too far removed). We just don’t add anything substantial that other universities geographically closer to each conference would add. So I’m guessing we’ll be with the AAC and try to become the Cinderella team of the future.”

Tramel: I think OSU's best bet for now is to keep with the Big 12, make it as strong as possible and see what happens. Don't add too much. Get BYU, which would help the television situation. The worst-case scenario is if the Big 12 starts splintering, with 4-5 schools joining a conference (good for them, of course), and the others don't find a spot.

Carlson:The future of the Bedlam rivalry seems more uncertain than ever. Here's where things stand

Don: “I suspect you (nor the Big 12 athletic directors) don't need another reader idea regarding the Big 12. I’m sorry, but I have one. Bring back the Big 8. Here's how it could work for Oklahoma State football. 1) Play all seven other member schools. 2) Play Oklahoma each year as you would your current (big- time) opponent. 3) Play two schools each year that are roughly equal to the lost games with Oklahoma and Texas. Notre Dame and Brigham Young; Auburn and North Carolina, etc. 4) Play your mid-major (Tulsa); 5) Play your I-AA opponent (North Dakota, etc.). What you have here is a possible Big Eight champion with a Big 12 level schedule.”

Tramel: The biggest problem — among many — is the lack of a conference title game, which can be a moneymaker, and in this case, a league that needs money. The scheduling is not bad, an improvement. But OSU and ISU and KSU and whoever still would have the I-AA game that is worthless and the mid-major that doesn’t appeal to TV. No matter what form the Big Eight takes, be it expanding or not, you've got to improve the schedules dramatically.

Mark: Here are some miscellaneous ramblings that will mostly just demonstrate my naivete about big time college football. It is fairly obvious the Big 12 has pretty much failed all of its members, not just OU and Texas. They obviously should have rebuilt to 12 teams years ago, and with the best schools they could possibly attract. It is probably too late to save the conference already. However, here are a couple of ideas that would require the conference to basically admit it is going to be stuck at a secondary level, at least for now. Texas A&M just might be willing to come back to the Big 12 if it means they can escape Texas. If Texas A&M were willing to return, perhaps Missouri, who hasn't had a lot of fun in the SEC, might also be willing to come back. Also, without Texas lording it over everybody, in spite of their current program quality, maybe Nebraska would reconsider its membership in the Big 10. Then one more decent school brings us back to 12 members. If we can go looking, seriously looking, there may be some schools ready to make us 14 or more; Louisville (whom we should have reached out to last time we lost schools), Cincinnati, Arkansas (probably not interested, but why not check), and Boise State to name a few. Like I said, I am probably showing how naïve I am about college football, but maybe?”

Tramel: No. No maybe. No nothing. A&M, Missouri and Nebraska are not coming back. Arkansas and Louisville aren’t switching. No one jumps onto a sinking ship, thinking, hey, this might be something different. The Big 12 is a sinking ship. If it survives, it will survive out of necessity. Expansion would have made little difference in the last 10 years. That would have meant two extra mouths for OU and Texas to feed, and their exit would have come more quickly. The economics are what they are. Outside of the Big Ten and SEC, two schools feed the rest of the Power 5 Conferences. Clemson and Florida State are analyzing their options today. Southern Cal and Oregon, too, to a lesser extent, since college football passion wanes west of the Panhandle.

Sam: The last Big 12 team added, the one that supposedly brought the least to the table, may now be the most attractive option for the others, as TCU keeps someone in the Metroplex on the almighty TV, puts a footprint in Texas for recruiting and has higher academics than the rest of us. The irony would be palpable.”

Tramel: TCU is an interesting case. But I think the Frogs are in trouble. Markets and cable households no longer matter. It's all about how many fans you have across the country and are they willing to watch and stream games? As a private school, TCU is anathema to the Pac-12. But the academics are solid. If the ACC for some reason decided to expand, the Frogs might be their top choice from the Big 12’s Oklahoma/Texas wing.

Orange Beach travelblog: Catching rolls & water balls

The rolls flew past my head, into the hands of my son-in-law and granddaughters. Yes, rolls.

If bread is flying through the air, you know you’re at Lambert’s Cafe. “Home of the Throwed Rolls.”

And Lambert’s made me think of Branson.

For decades, Oklahomans have been eating at Lambert’s in Ozark, Missouri, just south of Springfield and about 28 miles north of Branson. That’s because Oklahomans flock to Branson.

The tourism phenomenon of Gulf Shores/Orange Beach got me to thinking about the tourism phenomenon of Branson, in the Ozark Mountains of southwestern Missouri.

So I checked some numbers. Branson claims about nine million tourists a year. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach claims about 6.9 million. So more in Branson. But Gulf Shores/Orange Beach is concentrated in the summer months, with the beach being the obvious draw. Branson’s peak season is more spread out. Families go in the summer and spring breaks. Retirees hit Branson hard in the autumn. Everyone goes at Christmas, for a variety of holiday attractions.

Branson doesn’t have a peak season. Branson has an off-peak season (January through mid-March).

All of which means Gulf Shores/Orange Beach has a more condensed calendar. More visitors in the summer than Branson has at any time. With many of the same transportation issues.

Full disclosure: I haven’t visited Branson since the 1990s; I drove past it about 12 years ago. That’s it. But my daughter and her family go often.

And I’m told Branson has done wonders in alleviating some of the traffic congestion that once made Highway 76 a parking lot for miles and miles through the mountains.

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have some of the same snarl, since the Gulf of Mexico serves as quite a solid barrier for road construction south. And Wolf Bay and a variety of intracoastal waterways negates easy street expansion.

Lambert’s has a unique business model. Build in vacation meccas, but away from the big bustle.

Lambert’s, which opened in 1942 in the non-touristy town of Sikeston, Missouri, expanded to the Ozarks in 1994 and built north of Branson. The Foley Lambert’s opened in 1996, and it’s about eight miles down to the beach.

Building off-campus, if you will, means the land is cheaper and the access easier. The “buses welcome” sign is a dead-giveaway.

Lambert’s has some sharp business advice. Both vacation destinations have soared since the 1990s. Lambert’s apparently saw it coming.

Lambert’s features Southern cooking, large portions and delicious hot rolls that literally are thrown to customers. Some of the tosses are short in distance; others range as much as 25 feet.

The first time I ate at Lambert’s, seemed like a bunch of bread landed on the floor. A hot roll is a terrible thing to waste. But I saw no drops Wednesday. At least not off the table. The roll throwers must be getting more accurate, sort of like NFL quarterbacks, and when you think about it, hot rolls are easy to catch. Soft to the touch.

It’s a fun place for kids and a fun place for us adults who sometimes don’t eat right.

Almost all the entrees are priced in the teens, or you can just order the pass-arounds for $10. The pass-arounds are fried okra, fried potatoes, macaroni-and-tomatoes and black-eyed peas, which are brought around by workers on a constant basis. It’s the Southern version of chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant.

I ordered a hot beef sandwich, which was a favorite of my brothers and I when we were kids. I was torn between the hot beef sandwich and frog legs, because I haven’t eaten frog legs in at least 30 years. Alas, Lambert’s had run out of roast beef, so frog legs it was. Sometimes you make decisions; sometimes decisions are made for you.

Looking back, I should have just had the pass arounds. I had plenty of leftover chicken and dumplings from Sadie and Trish the Dish, some chicken-fried steak from Tinley and I could have had some pork chops from J.J., had I had any room left.

It’s a fun place, unless you’re dieting.

But there’s a wait. There’s always a wait. You know how in LA they say you’re an hour from everything, no matter where you’re at? Well, at Lambert’s, the wait is always long, no matter what time you go. The other night we checked, and the wait was an hour-and-a-half. We called at 4 p.m. Wednesday, and the wait was 45 minutes to an hour. So we dropped the girls off at some shop they wanted to visit, and J.J. and I drove the five miles farther and put in our name at Lambert’s.

Went back to Gulf Shores, got the girls, returned to Lambert’s and had about a 15-minute wait. Gameplanning works in things besides football.

Wednesday was a beach day, after the rain of Tuesday. My daughter, Haley, and 11-year-old Sadie are the beach bums. They could stay all day. They were there from about 8 a.m. to 12:30. The rest of us went in shifts. Sadie bought a ball somewhere that skips across the water, so we played ocean catch for more than an hour. The ball skips across the gulf like a flat rock on Saline Creek, it floats and it’s hardly affected by waves. Sort of sits where it lands. It’s the darndest thing.

The water is mostly warm, though anytime a boat floats by in the distance, it sends waves of cold water. Interesting place, the ocean.

The girls wanted to shop some, so J.J. and I dropped them off at a couple of stores, and we drove west on Highway 182 (Perdido Beach Boulevard).

When you arrive in Gulf Shores from Foley, the real action begins at Perdido Beach Boulevard and Gulf Shores Parkway (Highway 59). And the action moves east, towards Florida. The condos and restaurants and attractions and hotels extend for miles, to and through Orange Beach, interrupted only by a stretch of Gulf State Park.

But if you go west at that 182/59 intersection, it’s a different Gulf Shores. An occasional condo or two, on the side of the road opposite the beach, and few commercial enterprises. Instead, it’s all beach houses. Some nice, some not so nice. Some big, some not so big.

I don’t know if it’s a zoning issue or what, but the development has not spread west in Gulf Shores. We drove six or seven miles, to where the road ends at an opulent subdivision called Laguna Key. But that entire 6-7 miles was mostly beach houses.

Beach houses have their allure. We stayed in one on Prince Edward Island in Canada. But they seem to be a bit riskier than the condo rentals. If you’re looking for a more laid-back atmosphere, fewer people on the beach, the beach-house rental might be the way to go. If you want more action for your kids, or the convenience of beach service with umbrellas and lounge chairs, the condos might be your best bet.

The costs can vary like crazy. That Laguna Key subdivision? Basically a bunch of opulent houses for rent. I looked one up for grins. Six bedrooms, six bathrooms: $14,000 for a week.

Our $400 a night condo will do just fine.

We returned to the condo about 7 p.m. Some of us watched the Olympics and some settled in on the balcony, to enjoy the scene. They were rewarded with a beach marriage proposal, complete with candles and family and celebration. Many years ago, I proposed to Trish the Dish in a cemetery, so the beach proposal continued to chip away at my power rankings.

Oh well. Over the years, I’ve caught a few rolls for her. Maybe she’ll forgive me.

Bill Hancock’s Olympic adventure

Another Olympiad has arrived, and you know what that means – daily dispatches from everyone’s favorite Oklahoman, Bill Hancock.

The Hobart native who has carved a career as director of college sports’ biggest events – the Final Four for decades, now the College Football Playoff since its 2014 inception – is a long-time Olympic volunteer, going back to the 1984 (summer) and 2006 (winter) games.

Hancock writes a daily letter to family and friends, giving them an inside look at Olympic life. He and his wife, Nicki, are in Tokyo.

“August 4, Wednesday: (Please excuse the typos and bad writing in this friendly message to family members. They are kind and so will not object to sloppiness. Must hurry, because there is a vast Olympics to explore.)

“Commute on foot four miles through the thrilling city to the Main Press Center. It was a leisurely 90-minute stroll.

“Yes, I repeated my Olympic tradition by walking from the hotel to the MPC. Bill Mallon joined me again, as he did in Rio. There’s no better way to FEEL a city than to walk through it. Here’s the history of my Olympics walks across town…or sometimes around the block!

“1984 Los Angeles – One mile; 1996 Atlanta – Three miles; 2004 Athens – 200 yards; 2006 Torino – 400 yards; 2008 Beijing – Four miles; 2010 Vancouver – Seven miles; 2012 London – Six miles; 2014 Sochi – One mile; 2016 Rio – Nine miles; 2021 Tokyo – Four miles.

“And the Games where I failed to do the walk: 1988 Seoul – Could have walked the five miles or so, but didn’t think of it; 1992 Barcelona – Ditto; 2000 Sydney – Ditto; 2018 PyeongChang – too far, maybe 25 miles.

“Today’s walk was easy. The sidewalks are wide and so are the pedestrian walkways over the five or six bridges we crossed. When Bill and I left the Hotel Sunroute Ginza at 5:30 a.m. the sun was already up.

“Nicki later said she wasn’t worried about me except when the earthquake hit. (She has sent me off on many adventurous runs and walks and bicycle rides during our nearly 53 years of marriage, so she’s used to it.) Bill and I didn’t even notice the ‘quake when we were walking.

“We walked down Harumi Dori Avenue, which then becomes Ariake Dori Avenue.

“Right off the bat, we strolled past the iconic Kabukiza Theater.

“We did see the first ‘houseless’ person of our Tokyo trip, splayed on the sidewalk and speaking in I-don't-know-what tongues. I wanted to help him but had no idea what to do. Also, we spotted the first hint of city trash and sort of stained sidewalks like we’d see in a city back home. But that was in a very small area and soon we were back in the glistening Emerald city.

“We passed a tiny bicycle-repair shop. It was basically the size of our hotel room; inside a little old man toiled away on an old machine, surely making someone happy.

“We knew we would see a Denny’s restaurant. Down the road, I made Bill stop at one of the ubiquitous vending machines so I could purchase a Coke, but I couldn’t get it to take my credit card.

“Pretty pedestrian paths carried us along on the four or five bridges which spanned a river and maybe fingers of Tokyo Bay. One shot us over an expressway.

“We didn’t wear our Olympics apparel. Bill carried my Olympics credential in his bag; I had a credit card and 5,000 yen. No one said a word to us, although a few people bowed politely. I think we blended in.

“Everyone wore masks. Well, except the dozen or so serious-looking joggers. I must admit that I popped my own mask down into the chinstrap position several times, to let the sweat roll off.

“I am not proud to admit that I an incorrigible jaywalker. (You see, the traffic signals in Prairie Village are timed to change when a vehicle approaches. But pedestrians aren’t heavy enough to trigger then, although I will be close if I don’t stop eating these Oreos. So a walker could stand there for hours waiting for the light to change. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)

“Anyway, Bill was the Angel on my shoulder who would not allow me to jaywalk. (Why do my fingers type ‘Jayhawk’ when my brain says, ‘jaywalk?’)

“It was a warm morning, about 80, and I did some serious sweating which felt great because I was dressed for it. Nicki brought clean clothes to the office for me. It was another great Olympic moment – or 90 of them!

“Breakfast: Frosted flakes at the office.

“I’ll tell you about Bill Mallon, my walking companion. A proud Duke graduate (redundancy), he played on the PGA Tour, then became a renowned shoulder surgeon and now editor of the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. Oh, and he is also one of the most renowned experts on Olympic history. You could ask Bill how many left-handed, one-eyed people have won gold medals on Thursday in the rain and he could probably tell you. He is uncanny. Bill is one of five volunteers in the USOPC press office, along with Nicki and me and Craig and Beverly Bohnert.

“Craig may be the most awesome person at these Olympics besides Lester Holt. Every time a USA athlete or team does something, Craig produces a remarkably well written and informative ‘Breaking News’ blurb which gets emailed to reporters, board members and any other official who is lucky enough to receive it. It is truly one of the most amazing journalistic efforts you will ever see. Craig is scholarly and quiet and comes close to perfection, like Mary Lou Retton. Bill Mallon supplies tidbits for Craig for Breaking News, making Team Bohnert-Mallon worthy of the gold medal. Beverly is a type A person who walks as fast as a sprinter, is fluent in French and begins and ends each day talking; she has never met a stranger. She and Nicki sit at the front desk and help reporters.

“Craig and Beverly, former owners of an inn in Kansas City, own and operate the Paradise Sweets ice cream shop at 709 Gulf Way, St. Petersburg Beach, FL. Shameless plug: Go there if you can! (You can read about the place at Paradise Sweet — singular — on Facebook. You will get good ice cream (another redundancy) and learn something while you’re at it.

The Olympics is a remarkable venue for bonding and teamwork. Folks are thrown together in a strange country for a month, with no choice but to work it out. A friendly smile can mean more than all of the chocolate sundaes in the world.

“I try to make eye contact with the security people, bus drivers and volunteers. Hundreds of people sure pass them every day, grunting as they hurry on their way.

"I have invited at least 1,000 people to visit Nicki and me in Kansas City. Hope I remember to tell her.

“You won’t be surprised to know that people mention Dorothy almost every time I tell a foreigner I’m from Kansas. Two folks brought up the Jayhawks. One woman told me about a soap opera character who has a big ranch in Kansas. Other times I say I’m from Oklahoma. That either draws a blank stare, or a reference to Indians, or a comment about Rodgers and Hammerstein if the person is older than 60.

“And nobody cares about conference realignment except a dozen or so American journalists.

“Volunteer du jour: Hitoshi. Soldier working at the PSA (Pedestrian Security Access.) Are soldiers allowed to be this friendly?

“For what it’s worth, there are no Olympic traffic lanes, unlike Beijing, London, PyeongChang, et al. But except for rush hour, there’s not a lot of traffic. That’s what a pandemic do (sic). Royals fans will get it.

“By the way, security is tight but not overbearing. A perimeter extends around the entire venue grounds. There’s only one way in and out, and if you wind up at the wrong place, you may have to walk several blocks to find your way in.

“You don’t see many armed police officers. I’m sure they are in plain clothes.

“To get into the Main Press Center each day, here’s what happens. It’s basically the same at the venues:

“* You get in line, usually short, walk through a temperature-measuring area, then pass through an obligatory hand-sanitizing station. You pump the dispenser with your foot, like a car’s accelerator, and hold out your hands. A fine mist of germ-killing liquid sprays out.

“* Unlike past games — Rio was the worst — the lines at the PSA (Pedestrian Screening Area) are not long; usually only one or two people are in front of me.

“* Two young smiling women greet you at the hand-sanitizing station with a cheery ‘good morning.’ It’s easy to be friendly in any language. I always thank them with a bow and an equally cheery ‘Arigatto.’

“*Then we get to the accreditation-confirmation station. We hold our accreditation in front of a reader and stoop so the machine can take our photo.

“If the photo doesn’t match the accreditation, we are asked to try again. If that doesn’t work, you get escorted to a separate room where maybe you learn that your accreditation is invalid. This hasn’t happened to me, but it did to one friend and she had to get a new badge.

“* Each accreditation station serves two x-ray machines. We put our backpacks in one white tray and empty our pockets into another white tray. They scoot through the x-ray, then we walk through ourselves.

“I’ve been stopped six times to get wanded — never knew why — and always passed just fine.

“* A police officer, leaning on a four-foot wooden cane, keeps watch, sternly refusing to allow photographs. He doesn’t smile, but I did see him use the cane as a faux baseball bat yesterday.

“* Then we walk through a nice, shady breezeway into the MPC.

“We wear these accreditations on lanyards around our neck all day. It’s not a problem. In a box in the basement, I have all my badges dating back to Los Angeles. Except one which is in my office in Irving. I suppose my great-grandchildren will sell them on eBay someday.

“Covid Countermeasure of the day – There are plastic barriers between the drivers and passengers, on the buses and in taxis They’re like thick clear shower curtains. They’re taped to the sides, tops and bottoms so no little Covid droplets can get in or out. I don’t know whether they’re effective, but I also know I haven’t gotten breakthrough Covid.

“Lunch: Chicken from the general store here in the MPC, plus Pringles, plus Oreos.

“You know how American colleges have alma maters and fight songs like the ‘OU Chant’ and ‘Boomer Sooner.’ Well, a friend said today that the USA Olympics team also has an alma mater (‘The Star-Spangled Banner’) and a fight song (‘Stars and Stripes Forever.’) Makes good sense, except I might vote for ‘Tom Dooley,’ ‘The Sounds of Silence’ or ‘Big John’ instead.

“I need to say this: even for those of us who love any meet at Hayward Field (the new one or the old one, doesn’t matter), the Olympics is the greatest sporting event in the world.

“I love to stroll around the Main Press Center. Times have changed and fewer reporters are here, but the big papers have their own offices; everyone else works in the ‘bullpen’ which seats about 400. There’s a deadline every minute.

“Remember, when it’s 7 a.m. Monday in Chickasha, it’s 9 p.m. in Tokyo.

“Weather: High 93, low 79. A little hazy. Or is that smog?

“Japan Fact that surely must be true because somebody told me: Only about two percent of Japan is Christian, but much of the population eats at KFC at Christmas. According to CNN, ‘Every year since the mid-1980s, life-size Colonel Sanders statues — dressed as Santa during the holiday — have welcomed droves of locals and tourists alike across the country. According to figures released by the American fast-food chain, KFC Japan pulled in 6.9 billion yen (roughly U.S. $63 million) from December 20 to 25 in 2018, with lines out the door starting on December 23.’

“Dinner: Domino’s pizza at the MPC. Bill Mallon and I treated the staff. The real hero was Nicki, who figured out how to order American pizza in Japan by Uber Eats using little photos of pepperoni, cheese and beef, with five choices of crust. The driver brought the pizza to the lobby of the Washington Hotel across the street from the MPC.

“As Bill, Nicki and I carried the eight pizzas back to the MPC, two Japanese women stopped us. They were sad that they had not been able to get into the Olympics, and were eager for a simple encounter with someone who had. Back home, you’d think they were selling life insurance. But not these people. They were REALLY nice and wanted to learn about America, where we live, how we feel about Japan, etc. They were thrilled to meet Americans and Olympics people. They gave a business card to Nick and a bag of ‘all natural’ cookies to me.

“We watched Allyson Felix on television then got a car to the hotel. There we greeted Takahashi the security man who had clocked is in and out before our 14 days expired. He was born in 1954 in ... Hiroshima. He said none of his family had been killed in the bomb, but, of course, the city had not been completely rebuilt when he was a child. He made no political comment, and neither did we.

“I did think about all those allied soldiers and Japanese citizens who would have been killed in an invasion. War is horrible. Ditto the people who start them. And perpetuate them.

“Oh, boy, I lost my focus there! Anyway, this was Takahashi’s last night as the security guard at the Sunroute Ginza. We could tell that he was very happy to meet us, and sorry to see his Olympics ending, as he kept bowing and smiling.

“Then Nicki and I walked around Ginza, encountering maybe 20 food-delivery people riding bicycles with little cooler bags on the backs. We took photos in front of the iconic Kabukiza Theater which is much more beautiful at night.

“After poking around the Tokyo version of CVS — two stories, like in New York City – we bought bananas and Haagen Dasz at the Family Mart. We had accumulated about 147 Japanese coins of mysterious value (to me, anyhow) and I wanted to get rid of some. The clerk kindly fumbled around in the tray, took out 848 Yen, nearly penny-by-penny, and bowed. It was VERY nice of him. Now we have only about 93 Japanese coins.

“What a privilege to be here! Every day is an adventure. Sayonara, for now.”

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

SEC expansion will force Power 5 conferences to make moves, but ...

With the SEC preparing to add Texas and Oklahoma, attention shifts to the three options at hand for each of the remaining Power Five conferences:

Expand in an attempt to keep pace with the SEC from a competitive and financial perspective, with each move triggering a series of corresponding moves across the entire Football Bowl Subdivision;

Stand pat and batten down the hatches in an effort to prevent other conferences from raiding or poaching teams from its current lineup of members;

Or, in the case of one league in particular, decide whether to remain a conference altogether.

Several factors serve to complicate an already confounding issue.

One is the genuine lack of productive expansion targets outside of current members of Power Five conferences and a small handful of teams playing in the Group of Five. Even in that case, options left behind by the Big 12, for example, simply don't move the needle for the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12.

Another is the possibility that the SEC isn't done yet, and if so whether there is anything another conference can do to hold down the fort should one of its schools be extended an invitation — especially with the SEC on a path to rake in $1.3 billion in revenue during the 2024-25 fiscal year with the addition of the Longhorns and the Sooners.

The Pac-12 does not believe "expansion is required to continue to compete and thrive," commissioner George Kliavkoff said Tuesday from the conference's media day.

"That said, the fallout from Texas and Oklahoma gives an opportunity to once again consider expansion," he added. "We’ve already had significant inbound interest from other schools. We will work with our chancellors and presidents to evaluate these opportunities.”

For the Pac-12 and others, Kliavkoff's comments get to the heart of the issue: Like it or not, expansion is on the table. Here are the options at hand for each Power Five conference and what could be next for the FBS.

Big 12

The conference is no longer viable as a national contender without Texas and Oklahoma, which has left a roster of eight teams — Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia — with nearly nonexistent coast-to-coast appeal and a worryingly dire future when it comes to negotiations for the next grants of media rights agreement.

Expansion is the key to the league's long-term survival. But where, who, when? To start with, there's Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston, SMU and South Florida from the American, which would expand the Big 12's map and might make the league slightly more appealing to potential broadcast partners.

That's if the Big 12 can even entice these teams from the American. These Group of Five programs may have long wanted a seat at the Power Five table, but would this reworked Big 12 really be any more appealing as a permanent destination than the American, especially with a reworked College Football Playoff format providing greater opportunity to teams outside the Power Five umbrella?

But there's an argument for the Big 12 standing pat for the immediate future. With a rights deal signed through 2025 that would be split eight ways with Texas and Oklahoma projected to leave early for the SEC, current Big 12 members are due for increased annual payouts for the next several years. That might be enough to temporarily keep the band together but it doesn't do anything to secure the conference's future in 2026 and beyond.

Big Ten

Kansas and Iowa State are there for the taking, but how do these programs help the Big Ten add revenue and form a competent on-field challenge to the SEC's dominance? Neither provides needed help where it counts: first in dollars and cents, then in wins and losses. (Kansas mainly brings losses to the table.)

To keep pace with the SEC would take bold and decisive moves from a conference that no longer drives the national conversation on the issue of expansion. With no attractive option within the league's existing geographic footprint, the Big Ten's best option — should it decide to expand at all — would be to delve into the Pac-12, either by creating a partnership or by raiding that conference of its best members, beginning with Southern California and Oregon.

The second option would seem so distasteful to Big Ten leadership that it's difficult to imagine, especially given the longstanding ties and relationships between the two leagues rooted in the Rose Bowl.

But it would be the best way to stand up to the SEC given the league's projected 16-team membership and options to expand even further. A conference that adds several current Pac-12 members — let's say the Trojans, Ducks, UCLA, Washington, Utah and Colorado — could draw more eyeballs than the SEC and make a reasonable case for being as nationally relevant in the chase for the national championship.

Pac-12

The Pac-12 is on far, far surer footing than the Big 12. Still, the league faces a similar dilemma: What are the options for expansion? The pickings are slim, especially if the league wishes to remain in its current footprint.

Boise State, Brigham Young and San Diego State are nearby options with flaws, though SDSU has made significant strides in facilities and plays in one of the largest cities in the country.

Current Big 12 members would leap at a lifeline extended by the Pac-12, but why would the conference make such an offer? Oklahoma State, Baylor, Texas Tech and others are strong, proud athletics programs with centuries of combined history at the highest level of college sports. And it doesn't matter one bit. If expansion does continue, these programs may be the biggest names left on the cutting-room floor.

ACC

It's all about Notre Dame for the ACC, which desperately needs to rework its existing rights deals, which run through 2036, and get its annual revenue more in line with the SEC and Big Ten. With the proposed 12-team playoff format built to accommodate Notre Dame's typical schedule, it won't be easy to convince the Fighting Irish to go back on 100 years of independent status. (Last year's pandemic season notwithstanding.)

Obviously, adding Notre Dame improves the league's on-field product while drawing in one of the biggest names in all of sports, college or otherwise. It would also be fantastic if the ACC could add one or more of Alabama, Ohio State, USC and the New York Yankees. Why not dream big?

But you have to ask. Reeling in Notre Dame would allow the ACC to add a 16th team, whether that's West Virginia, Cincinnati or another, and still have the leverage to renegotiate its media deals more in line with the top leagues in the FBS.

And while the duration of the league's existing rights deal would make it complicated — and likely extremely expensive — for any team to leave the ACC, not putting its members on more solid financial footing may be equally costly. Would a sizable buyout really stop the SEC or Big Ten from reaching in and grabbing Clemson, North Carolina and others?

SEC

Why stop at 16 teams? Why not 18, 20, 24, even 32?

The possibilities are endless for the SEC, which is set to seamlessly add two historic powerhouse programs to its roster and has the wherewithal to go even bigger. Expansion is driven by the survival of the richest, and the SEC currently has more money to offer a potential new member than any other league in the FBS.

The conference has several options within driving distance. One is Clemson, the closest thing to a true threat to Alabama's dynasty. Other options include Florida State, Miami and North Carolina. That would push the SEC's roster to 20 teams.

Whether you believe the SEC is finished after bringing in Texas and Oklahoma depends on how much stock you put into Commissioner Greg Sankey's statement on Tuesday, when he said in part, "the SEC has not proactively sought new members."

Even if that's true and the conference had not initiated any conversations to that point, does that wait-and-see approach still hold given the possibility of expansion and realignment across the FBS? The rest of the Power Five would love to know the answer.

Follow colleges reporter Paul Myerberg on Twitter @PaulMyerberg

Ketanji Brown Jackson, the Big Ten and filibuster rules. It's ...

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. President Joe Biden indicates he would support a change to filibuster rules. And two Pac-12 powerhouses appear poised to join the Big Ten.

👋 Hello! It's Julius here with the news you need to know Thursday.

But first, a 'mystery rocket body.' 🚀 NASA officials are baffled by a rocket that crashed into the moon last year that left a "double crater."

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Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson becomes Supreme Court's first Black woman justice

Ketanji Brown Jackson made history Thursday when she was sworn in as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Jackson, a Harvard-trained lawyer who was confirmed by the Senate nearly three months ago, will take the seat occupied by Associate Justice Stephen Breyer for nearly three decades. "I am truly grateful to be part of the promise of our great nation," Jackson said in a statement released by the court. Previously a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Jackson took the oath of office at a fraught moment for the high court, as its decisions to overturn Roe v. Wade and expand access to handguns have exacerbated tensions among the justices and underscored divisions among some Americans.

Biden backs change to filibuster rules to codify abortion right

President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would support changing filibuster rules in the Senate to make it easier to codify the right to abortion and the right to privacy following last week's Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. Biden called the ruling "outrageous" and said Congress must overturn it by writing Roe v. Wade into law. Because of the filibuster, 60 votes are needed in the Senate needed to pass most legislation. Changing the filibuster rules could allow senators to write the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision into law with a simple majority.

What everyone's talking about

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Supreme Court makes decisions on power plant emission regulation, 'remain in Mexico' policy

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against an Environmental Protection Agency effort to regulate power plant emissions. Chief Justice John Roberts asserted it wasn't plausible that Congress intended to give the environmental agency the power to regulate those emissions without saying so in the law explicitly. The decision dealt a blow to the Biden administration in one of the most significant climate cases decided by the court in more than a decade.

The high court also allowed the Biden administration to end a Trump-era immigration policy that required migrants seeking asylum to remain in Mexico while their cases are reviewed. In the final opinion handed down in the 2021-2022 term, Roberts said that the lower court's ruling against the administration "imposed a significant burden upon the executive’s ability to conduct diplomatic relations with Mexico." That's because, Roberts noted, the United States cannot unilaterally return migrants who are from Central America to Mexico.

Supreme Court to hear redistricting suitwith deep implications for federal elections

UCLA, USC in negotiations to join the Big Ten

The University of Southern California and UCLA are in negotiations to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, multiple people with knowledge of the deliberations told USA TODAY Sports. The two schools reached out to the Big Ten and were not pursued by the conference. The move would occur for the 2024 season. The Big Ten may not be done expanding. USC and UCLA are the two dominant brands in the Pac-12 and the largest and most successful athletics departments on the West Coast. Losing the two schools to the Big Ten would be devastating for the Pac-12 and could lead to another round of conference realignment impacting every league in the Power Five.

Real quick

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Biden to announce $800 million in additional aid to Ukraine

President Biden said Thursday that the U.S. would announce $800 million in additional military aid to Ukraine in the next few days. The assistance will include new advanced air defense systems, more artillery, counter-battery radars and more ammunition, Biden said. "We are going to stick with Ukraine, and all of the alliance are going to stick with Ukraine as long as it takes to in fact make sure they are not defeated,'' he said. Earlier in the summit, NATO declared Russia the “most significant and direct threat” to its members’ peace and security, vowing to bolster support for Ukraine in the conflict.

A July 4th break from the news

Will OU and Texas be lame ducks long in the Big 12 before SEC ...

Mike Gundy said some interesting things to ESPN’s Marty Smith on Thursday. Nothing more enlightening than the final quote Smith tweeted out from Gundy.

“The goal, from what I hear, is that this league (the Big 12) stays intact to (20)’24.”

In the wake of OU and Texas leaving for the Southeastern Conference, the Big 12 is scrambling to maximize its leverage over the Sooners and Longhorns wanting an early departure. Contractually the Big 12 owns OU’s and UT’s media rights through the 2024-25. But if the Big 12 should dissolve, the Sooners and ‘Horns would in theory be free of financial responsibilities.