I know an OU fan who is much better-informed than I am who thinks that the Pac-12 is going to kick out Colorado and Utah, then merge with Texas, Texas Tech, OU, fOSU, KU, and K-State.
He says that the 9:00 start time is a sign that the Pac-12 is failing and knows that it is failing.
I don't buy it, but maybe someone else here does.