Oklahoma Football: Sooners Right to Demand Conference Reform over Realignment

Conference realignment is the hot-button topic in college football, particularly as it pertains to the Big 12. There's been all sorts of talk about Oklahoma and Texas bolting for the Pac-12, and the idea seems to be getting closer and closer to reality with each passing day.

However, going west apparently isn't Oklahoma's preference. Instead of joining the Pac-12, the Sooners brass would just as soon fix what ails the Big 12.

This is the gist of a long, detailed report that was published in The Oklahoman on Tuesday. And if the report has made one thing clear, it's that Oklahoma wants the Big 12 to stop catering to Texas.

For Oklahoma to stay in the Big 12, two key demands will have to be fulfilled. One is the removal of Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe. The other includes "hard and fast rules" for Texas and The Longhorn Network.

The point is that Oklahoma will only stick around if the Big 12 is "reformed." This wouldn't even have to involve conference expansion (or re-expansion), which a source said is not a "major issue."

Regardless, Texas is still very much a key player when it comes to determining the fate of the Big 12. Oklahoma's demands exist as a possible means to make Texas agree to compromise, and that has everything to do with its precious Longhorn Network.

The very existence of the Longhorn Network has caused plenty of well-documented issues within the Big 12, but they all boil down to one thing: money. Texas is raking in $12 million a year from the Longhorn Network (a figure that is surprisingly low), and Oklahoma could push for a slice.

“What if we share a small percentage?” said a source. “That's a real strong show of support. Where's anybody going to go in any other conference that doesn't want all your network? Wouldn't it be a nice show of good faith?"

As for where Beebe fits into all this, the thinking among Oklahoma people is that he has been way too eager to please Texas in recent years.

“The perception is, he answers only to one school,” the source said. “That does not work.”

That much is evident in the fact that the Big 12 has crumbled in a relatively short amount of time. Nebraska left for the Big Ten, Colorado left for the Pac-12 and now Texas A&M is looking to make a move to the SEC. All of this can be tied to Beebe's tendency to look after Texas, and not the Big 12's best interests.

“The best commissioner's a consensus builder,” said the source. “We need a consensus-builder commissioner."

None of this should come as a surprise. Despite all the talk about Oklahoma and Texas departing for the Pac-12 (taking with them Oklahoma State and Texas Tech), there has always been a sliver of hope that the Big 12 would be able to survive. With these demands, Oklahoma is showing us how that may be possible.

That Texas—and to a lesser extent, Beebe—is the villain in all this is also not surprising. The school's collective ego is pretty huge, and the Longhorn Network is a symbol of it. The school (and its adoring fans) won't admit it, but the creation of the Longhorn Network always did have the potential to turn the Big 12 into Texas' personal plaything. That's a big reason why the conference is falling apart.

Instead of running from the conference's problems, Oklahoma's demands represent an attempt to fix the conference's problems. It may end up being a failed attempt, but you certainly can't blame the university for trying.