Big 12 membership will bring a windfall, but the full value of membership will take time to reap.
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Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Tuesday that there was no reason for his league to advertise on Craigslist.
“When I took the job I was assured that I could make any changes with the coaching staff that I needed to make”, Grobe said. You just knew it a few months before everyone else did.
“We’re family, he brought in, he gave me the opportunity to play the game”, Russell said. On June 22, the Big 12 issued a public statement demanding specifics of Baylor’s sexual assault investigations, including the full Pepper Hamilton report, and made a point of noting that this was the second time the conference had to ask.
“Tulane’s greatest assets in this regard include our academic reputation, our standing among the nation’s top research institutions as a member of the AAU and our location in the one of the premier cities in the country, New Orleans”. That means for several years, the current 10 members get to share the new money. “The idea of them playing (in the Big 12) in 2017 is probably not realistic”.
This came as a surprise to many who thought the conference would not expand after previous meetings did not show any promise of expansion.
What is the Big 12 looking for?
Bowlsby said he could not provide a timeline. Universities have been actively pursuing the Big 12 for a while. “We’re evaluating what expansion of the league might contribute to that process, as well as what it might contribute to financial stability and general stability of the conference”. What does the league want?
Any expansion hopeful will need at least eight “yes” votes from the league’s board of directors for entry into the 10-team league, which now consists of Baylor, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, West Virginia Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas.
One would think Houston is an obvious choice due to the emergence of the football program, but who knows how Texas, Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech would feel about another Power Five school in the state competing for the same recruits. BYU averaged 58,532 fans last fall.
Schools like Brigham Young University and the University of CT, along with Central and South Florida, have been long rumored to join the Big 12, if they were to expand. The problem, though, is the school’s policy of not scheduling athletic events on Sunday. “So from strictly a football perspective, I think we want to continue to play fast and furious on offense – we want to keep those same principles Art had”. The Bearcats are a former major conference player from the old Big East and have strong facilities.
The ACC also extended its agreement with Notre Dame through 2036, meaning if the Fighting Irish finally decide that football independence isn’t for them, they’re contractually obligated to join the ACC.
Bowlsby told reporters on Monday that the league might eventually weigh whether to sanction the Bears for their misconduct.
CT: A perpetual power in men’s and women’s basketball but typically struggle in football.
Houston: The Cougars seem like a natural fit.
So now he must find a way to get interest from recruits back into Baylor football while it still has the scandal lingering over the university – and the uncertainty of how long Grobe will be heading the program. Houston is almost as large of a media market as Dallas.
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South Florida’s lobbying efforts as a Big 12 expansion candidate took a blow Wednesday with word the men’s basketball program is under NCAA investigation for possible academic fraud involving Oliver Antigua, a USF assistant and brother of coach Orlando Antigua.
