Whatever the Big 12 decides, the chances of growth seem greater now than they ever have, and expansion madness has returned, as if it really ever ended.
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He reiterated a message from Tuesday at Big 12 media days that the current Baylor players do not deserve to be punished for the misdeeds of former teammates.
The Big 12’s Board of Directors voted unanimously for commissioner Bob Bowlsby to explore models for adding two or four teams and to contact schools interested in joining the league as early as the 2017-18 academic year.
“Highest level” is a compliment to the Big 12, which is behind the SEC and Big Ten in revenue and is doing what it’s doing now because the ACC, which is launching a network, and Pac-12, which has a fledgling one, are threatening to get in front in other areas and watch the Big 12 shrink in their rear-view mirrors.
Because the Big 12 is the only Power 5 conference with even the prospect of expansion in the foreseeable future, there will likely be a lot of schools aggressively courting a spot in the league.
Big 12 board of directors chairman David Boren, the University of Oklahoma president, said, “It’s a statement from the board we want to move forward”.
How candidates stack up: CT (57th) and BYU (66th) are the only two candidates that rank in the top 100 of U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings. That would eliminate one big negative for BYU’s inclusion into the league: a policy of not playing on Sundays that could have a big impact on several Big 12 sports and postseason championship schedules.
The Big 12 also was influenced by Monday’s announcement that the ACC had reached a deal with ESPN to start a conference network and agreed to extend the binding ACC grant of rights for their first-tier television rights through 2036. So from strictly a football perspective, I think we want to continue to play fast and furious on offense. I’m sure he or she has the scoop.
Both men emphasized that, as of now, the Big 12 hasn’t initiated any conversations with potential members. “That throws us off what we came here to do – win football games, win the Big 12, contend for a national championship. It’s not yet a decision if any particular university or college – or even a definite decision about when we expand or the way, the form this would take”, Boren said. I’ve spent enough time with them. “We were assured of the university’s commitment to keep the conference appraised going forward”.
On July 18, the ACC and ESPN agreed to a TV deal that would result in the conference getting its own network by 2019. Although Big 12 bylaws don’t specifically address the Baylor situation, the conference could potentially ban the Bears from postseason play or impose other sanctions.
Also Wednesday, Grobe clarified comments he made Tuesday, when he said there was not a “culture of bad behavior” at the school, and said he remains sensitive to the victims. The football team has become a steady victor and moving into OH would not only give the Big 12 an eastern bridge to West Virginia but maybe open up some solid recruiting territory.
BYU is without a conference, making them logical fit. It’s a nice position to be in.
Register and Cyclone Insider columnist Randy Peterson makes his predictions for who’ll be named the Big 12 MVP, which team will go 12-0 and whether he thinks the Cyclones will make a bowl game this season.
The coaches, polled anonymously, of course, were asked choose their “top two candidates among schools not now in a Power 5 program”.
With the Big 12 considering expansion, documents show the conference’s composition committee is flirting with Houston, Memphis, UCF and Colorado State.
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“BYU is known for its academic excellence and I believe we have an exceptional athletic program”, Tom Holmoe wrote.
