Breaking down the finalists, double-dose of Berry Tramel, Kansas reporter seems frustrated, Duarte confirms UH made the cut, Memphis guy seems really frustrated, and UMass is in limbo.
UPDATED: Big 12 Expansion: Breaking Down The Finalists
http://collegefootballnews.com/2016/big-12-expansion-breaking-down-finalists-houston-byu-cincinnati-connecticut-memphis-ucf-usf-tulane-east-carolina
Here’s the best guess handicapping each school’s chances to be a part of Big 12 expansion from best to worst.
1. Houston
2. BYU
3. Cincinnati
4. Memphis
5. USF
6. UCF
7. UCONN
8. CSU
9. Tulane
10. SMU
11. Air Force
12. Temple
13. Rice
Putting the big in Big 12: The league’s expansion conundrum
Bowlsby and company have taken an intentionally vague approach to questions about the league’s timeline. But CBS Sports college football writer Dennis Dodd cited unnamed league sources that said that the Big 12 would like to wrap up the expansion question – or at least this phase of it – before the start of the 2016 season.
So the clock is ticking, considering that both Baylor and Kansas State will open their seasons on Sept. 2.
OU grads in Houston thrilled that the Sooners are coming to town
Berry Tramel
http://newsok.com/article/5516415
And the game sports the added intrigue of possible Big 12 expansion, for which Houston has been prominently mentioned.
“I know all the OU fans down here would love for that to happen, because we’d like to see our team more,” Brougher said. “We’re all for UofH.”
Why is Rice on the Big 12 expansion list?
Berry Tramel
http://newsok.com/article/5516379
I’m not saying East Carolina and New Mexico deserved to be in the conference, make the initial cut or even be on the list in the first place. But Rice? The Big 12 is not inviting Rice. Not on a train, not in a tree; not in a car, now let me be!
Even as things change, it’s more of the same with Big 12 expansion talk
So now we wait.
While folks at UConn, South Florida, Central Florida, Colorado State, Air Force, SMU, Temple and Tulane join BYU, Cincinnati and Houston in continuing to try to convince Bowlsby and company that their school is the right one to expand with, everything remains up in the air and on the table.
By this time next month, we may be closer to a resolution. But we also may still be wondering if the future of the Big 12 Conference will include 10, 12 or even 14 institutions.
University of Houston makes first cut for Big 12 expansion
The Big 12 has not given a timetable when it will make a decision whether to add two or four schools or remain at 10 members.
Quick thoughts on – what else? – Big 12 expansion
5. The process, of course, is a joke. It’s humiliating for the candidates and humiliating for the league. The Big 10, the ACC, the SEC and the Pac-12 have all managed to expand without subjecting candidates to this sort of public groveling. The Big 12 is demonstrating exactly why it’s the least respected of the Power 5 leagues.
The UMass AD said he’s prepared to stay as an independent for three seasons, as he has schedules built for each of those years. He’s confident the Minutemen will find a conference to call home by then.