The one surprise among the early cuts is Memphis.
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The Tigers, with the backing of FedEx, were considered a realistic candidate for Big 12 expansion.
Temple has also been eliminated, per ESPN and the Associated Press.
Temple is aware of the story, and the source said the Big 12 has not contacted the school about a decision. Memphis alum and FedEx president Fred Smith had pledged his company’s sponsorship for Big 12 events if the school was invited to join the conference. Boise State and East Carolina have both reportedly been nixed from Big 12 expansion consideration over the past few weeks.
Memphis released a statement from university president M. David Rudd stating he would not comment on the Big 12 process and referred to a portion of the nondisclosure agreement the school had with the conference.
ESPN was first to report the field had been cut, with Memphis and Temple out of consideration. ESPN’s report says that offer “might have actually hurt Memphis’ chances”.
Per CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish, Memphis’ academic profile was another reason for its exclusion. The league, sources said, is more interested in teams that can strengthen and add value to the league as opposed to schools that need to be “propped up” by the league. The league is eyeing a decision by the time it holds its board of directors meeting on October 17.
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Back in February, Memphis president David Rudd wrote a letter to West Virginia president Gordon Gee and copied Oklahoma president David Boren and then-Baylor president Ken Starr, the other two members of the composition committee, as well as former Big 12 board chairman and Kansas State president Kirk Schulz. The league could also opt to stick with 10 schools.
