http://ucla.freedomblogging.com/2010/06/13/pac-10-expansion-scott-in-austin-kansas-next/16411/Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott arrived in Austin Sunday to meet with University of Texas officials about the Longhorns joining an expanded Pac-10
and is scheduled to meet with University of Kansas officials Monday night, the Orange County Register has learned.
Scott landed in Austin as the Texas board of regents prepared to meet Tuesday morning to discuss the Longhorns’ conference options.
The Austin stop comes after a busy weekend for Scott, the point man in a Pac-10 expansion bid that could dramatically alter the major college sports landscape by the end of the week.
Scott met with University of Oklahoma president David Boren and Sooners athletic director Joe Castiglione in Oklahoma on Saturday and then flew to to College Station, Texas to meet with Texas A&M officials on Sunday morning before flying to Lubbock for a meeting with Texas Tech officials later that afternoon. Texas Tech’s regents are also scheduled to discuss the school joining the Pac-10 on Tuesday afternoon. Oklahoma regents will hold a similar discussion Wednesday, school officials said.
Monday could be just as busy with Scott and deputy commissioner Kevin Weiberg, a former Big 12 commissioner, scheduled fly to Kansas City Monday night to meet with University of Kansas officials scrambling to find a home for the Jayhawks with the break up of the Big 12 imminent.Scott’s whirlwind tour of the Big 12 Southern Division comes as SEC officials have expressed interest in pursuing Texas and Texas A&M. A&M officials have also expressed an interest in at least exploring the SEC as an option.
But Texas remains the key to Pac-10 plans to expand to a 16-school, two division super conference. Pac-10 officials see Texas as the flagship university in a Eastern Division that would also include Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Colorado, who joined the Pac-10 on Thursday, and current Pac-10 members Arizona and Arizona State. Pac-10 officials hope Texas A&M will round out the Eastern Division.
If the Aggies jump to the SEC or pursue other options, the Pac-10 will look at Utah and Kansas.The Western Division would be made up of the original Pac-8 schools: Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, California, Stanford, UCLA and USC.