OSU's T. Boone Pickens says OU president David Boren should retire

Oklahoma State donor T. Boone Pickens, whose name is on the Cowboys’ stadium, has started the Bedlam rivalry a little early this year with some choice words for Oklahoma president David Boren.

Pickens told the Austin American-Statesman’s podcast, “On Second Thought” that “maybe it’s time for David to retire” after a report surfaced that Boren had changed his mind about Big 12 expansion.

“I’ve known David forever. He likes to talk. He gets a little bit confused sometimes,” Pickens said.

Boren was one of the most outspoken voices in favor of expansion 18 months ago. However, a report in Sports Illustrated’s Campus Rush on Tuesday suggested Boren might be changing his position amid pressure from his board. Boren answered the story by stating, “Oklahoma has not yet taken a position on expansion.”

Pickens noted he thought 10 teams were a good fit for the Big 12.

Pickens also shared thoughts on his relationship Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, which has never been rosey. Pickens, who is the biggest donor in the Big 12 conference, said the two don’t speak.

“I don’t know, but Mike doesn’t handle people relationships very well,” Pickens said on the podcast. “And he gets mad about things. I’ve heard he’s written some notes about me that weren’t very complimentary.”

While the Big 12 might be attractive to Group of Five schools simply because of the money and the prestige, there’s no doubt the conference is an absolute mess. The Sports Illustrated story alluded to the fact that Boren might be pulling back on expansion because his school is looking for an exit out of the conference. Several sources within the story said there was a rift between many of the conference’s schools and Oklahoma and Texas, and there’s rampant speculation that after three months of searching and posturing, the Big 12 might nix its expansion plans altogether.

Guess we’ll know more when the league’s presidents meet on Oct. 17.

For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.

For more Oklahoma State news, visit OStateIllustrated.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday