Despite what Finebaum says, OU wants the Big 12 to work

Will OU coach Bob Stoops and the Sooners bolt for SEC the first chance they get? [PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN]

The voice of the SEC says that OU “pretty desperately” wants out of the Big 12. And when Paul Finebaum talks, people from Hot Springs to Hilton Head listen.

ESPN's Mouth of the South knows quite well the psyche of Southern football fans and the inner workings of the conference that lords over college football. But Finebaum gets a little lost west of the Ozarks.

The University of Oklahoma is quite desperate, I'll grant you that. Desperate for the Big 12 to succeed. That's the desire of OU's brass. The majority of administrators and coaches.

Maintain geographic relevance. Maintain long-standing rivalries. Maintain a conference with a manageable number of schools. Maintain the status that goes with being the big dog in the pack.