In expansion talks, just what does OU really want?

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Five years ago, Oklahoma president David Boren stood at the construction site of a new campus dormitory and declared that the Sooners would be no “wallflower “during this second round of conference realignment. Boren’s comments sent a clear message that Oklahoma was no longer necessarily committed to making the Big 12 work in the age of the Longhorn Network. A sudden shift that destabilized the Big 12, ignited a panic throughout the league and prompted Missouri to jump ship for the SEC.

Five years later, the Big 12 faces another fork in the road. And once again, the Sooners are on the spot. Only this time, Oklahoma is loaded with leverage – to dictate what happens to the conference’s grant of rights, its composition and its overall future.

Two weeks ago, the conference authorized commissioner Bob Bowlsby to begin exploring the league’s expansion options and start negotiating with prospective candidates.

Oklahoma president David Boren has long been an advocate for a Big 12 TV network. LM Otero/AP Photo

Texas immediately placed its expansion cards on the table, with president Greg Fenves seemingly endorsing the Big 12 candidacy of the University of Houston over Twitter not two days later — vaulting the ball across the Red River.

Making the critical question now — what does Boren want? The answer to that could go a long way in determining the direction of the Big 12 in the coming weeks.

While Bowlsby has been examining expansion possibilities, the Big 12’s television partners, ESPN and Fox, have anxiously been waiting to see what happens. Due to a pro-rata clause in the current contracts, the networks are on the hook for roughly $25 million for every school the Big 12 adds, regardless of the school, through the end of the deal in 2024-25. That could total up to $800 million if the Big 12 expands by four schools, an option Bowlsby and Boren have both stated is on the table.

That has obviously placed the networks in a precarious position.

If the Big 12 pulls the trigger on expansion, one recourse the networks would have would be to request an extension to the grant of rights, to at least gain long-term security for the league’s live content. Recently, ESPN agreed with the ACC on a network, which will launch in 2019. But in exchange, ESPN got the ACC to sign an extension of its grant of rights through 2035-36.

The difference with the Big 12 is that ESPN and Fox, …

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