Earlier on Wednesday, a report circulated that had the Big 12 narrowing things down to “6-8” teams, including BYU.
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Reports have stated the Big 12 have discussed expansion with as many as 17 prospective new members.
According to the website report, the finalists are expected to make presentations to the Big 12 in Dallas during the next couple of weeks.
Mark Blaudschun reported on the subscription-based tmgcollegesports.com that USF made the cut with UCF, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Houston and Memphis.
Before 2011, the Big 12 was a 12 member conference, but reduced in size to 10 when Nebraska left for the Big Ten, and Colorado went to the Pac-12.
By the time the dust had settled, numerous local TV stations, and then ESPN, tallied up 12 schools that are still talking with the Big 12. After reviewing the candidates, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby and his staff will trim the list to two candidates.
That doesn’t seem likely at this point, especially if the Big 12 decides to accept only two new members and one of them turns out to be independent BYU.
While making the cut would be a nice boost for SMU’s public perception, the school is still regarded as a long shot for Big 12 membership.
CSU Chancellor and President Tony Frank sent a letter dated July 25 to the conference expressing its “strong interest in being considered as an expansion candidate”.
How soon the conference will act, or in what way, is not known, but the Big 12 board of directors has a scheduled meeting for October 17. We do everything backwards in the ten team Big 12. “I’m not going to start now”.
However, East Carolina, one of the 30-plus schools vying for a spot in the Big 12, released a statement Wednesday saying it was out of conference expansion contention and disappointed with the decision.
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The Big 12 is just fishing for some of that ESPN College Football money which really no longer exists.
