Meaning, how much of the pie will new members get?
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There is no obvious choice.
UMass obviously won’t be invited to the Big 12, but it could have an opportunity to replace a school that leaves for it. Not anymore. For the Big 12, expansion is all about survival and protection. TU shares the distinction with only Rice and Buffalo, who are not considered to be viable contenders for Big 12 entrance.
Grobe explained it the best he could, but as it was with Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby the day before, he didn’t seem to grasp the depths of evil to which this school has fallen.
“There’s a contractual obligation to pay that additional amount pro rata that we’re already receiving if there is an expansion, a hypothetical expansion of the conference”, Boren said.
You knew it was going to happen. “Whether there will be or not, we’ll see”, Hitt said Wednesday morning.
One big driving factor in the decision to expand was the new deal created between the ACC and ESPN where a new cable network would be created in an agreement lasting for the next 20 years.
“We know that there’s going to be a point we need to extend the grant of rights”, Bowlsby said, adding that the topic was discussed Tuesday. In practical terms, that gives us this top-10 ranking of candidates from the likely “free agents” interested in becoming Big 12 members.
As for BYU? It can take heart in Bowlsby also telling CBS that the league is open to “football-only” members.
Although there is no timetable for the expansion, Bowlsby explained there is a process in vetting potential schools. If Houston is in the Big 12, that helps the cause a lot.
After the debacle down in Baylor stole the show throughout the early portion of the day, the conference made an announcement that really raised some eyebrows following a meeting between school presidents.
So the Big 12 and the networks have to work together. “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? (Houston has the best program and television market of available schools, but there’s still some hesitancy within the state of Texas to allow the Cougars to use the Big 12 to potentially leap over current members). The problem, though, is the school’s policy of not scheduling athletic events on Sunday. According to SI.com, the leading candidates are BYU, Cincinnati and CT.
The Big 12 is accepting resumes from expansion candidates. However, UC does have a football stadium issue.
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. The Los Angeles Rams placed him on the reserve non-football injury list, though the 25-year-old with high hopes of playing again was working this summer in a support role with Rams’ assistant coaches in charge of receivers and special teams.
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.
Until Tuesday’s meeting, Big 12 officials had become increasingly concerned that Baylor officials had declined their requests for more information about the scandal. West Virginia didn’t join the Big 12 until November 2011 and played Big 12 football in 2012. Tapping into Florida recruiting footholds and TV sets is tempting, but to this point there hasn’t been much buzz about the Knights.
Tulane: This is a program that the media might choose for expansion because of the trips to New Orleans.
In other words, the B12 Board is looking for growth stocks.
The majority votes went to BYU and Houston.
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The Big 12 is on the clock. It’s the question that will tower over the league until it makes a decision.
