Not much today other than some bits and pieces
- Dodd looks at the what-if of Louisville to the Big 12
- Couple of Iowa writers are having headaches about the current state of Big 12 expansion
- K State paper reaches out to all Big 12 University SGAs in regards to legislation on BYU
- The Jazz owners add to a large collection of Utah power players trying to get BYU into the Big 12
- A UAB booster reached out to the Big 12 to see about adding their name to the expansion process
- And Bohls and Golden released the full interview with T. Boone Pickens
What if the Big 12 had chosen Louisville over West Virginia during realignment?
Expansion is on the table for the Big 12, but maybe it wouldn’t be if a different decision was made in 2011
Dennis Dodd
For his part, Neinas says he’d take Cincinnati and Houston. The 84-year-old administrator still runs a coaching search firm out of his Colorado home.
“You should expand East because, if you take BYU, man, this is very difficult,” Neinas said. “Take Cincinnati because they can be a [travel] partner with West Virginia. Houston, under the current circumstances, because they are a growing program. I don’t think [Houston’s current success] is a one-night stand.”
Hines Column: The Optics of Big 12 Expansion
http://www.amestrib.com/sports/20160928/hines-column-optics-of-big-12-expansion
And that’s when perhaps the oddest — and least flattering portrayal of the league — part of this whole thing began to unfold as the conference seemingly allowed any school with a football program to get consideration. Why in the world would they even feign interest in Arkansas State, East Carolina and Northern Illinois? How does that look like anything other than indecisive, uniformed and impudent.
While Oklahoma and Texas will be perfectly fine without expansion or with it, schools like Iowa State need expansion.
The Cyclones football team would be much more competitive in a Big 12 Conference that features divisions. They wouldn’t have to play the Sooners, Longhorns, Baylor or TCU every year.
Iowa State should be nervous. If Oklahoma decides to back out of expansion, it shows the rest of the league that it and Texas are calling the shots. And that’s not good for the rest of the league.
Baylor did not respond to emails or phone calls by Wednesday evening.
Legislation has been passed or discussed at Iowa State, K-State, Texas and West Virginia. Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech student leaders said there was no legislation at their universities. The TCU student body president did not directly answer whether or not a resolution was in the works.
Here’s how the president of the Utah Jazz suggested Utah’s Governor pitch BYU to the Big 12
All of Utah’s heavy hitters are getting involved.
We have obtained an email from Steve Starks, president of the Utah Jazz and Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment, to Utah Lt. Governor Spencer Cox, concerning BYU’s Big 12 talking points.
About a month ago, after that booster had reached out to the Big 12 office on behalf of a group of UAB supporters, he got a callback from Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. In a polite conversation that lasted about five minutes, Bowlsby made two key points in declining to welcome a formal UAB presentation.
Episode 28 of On Second Thought: T. Boone Pickens dishes on Mike Gundy, David Boren and Big 12 expansion
Billionaire T. Boone Pickens pulls no punches in Episode 28 of the On Second Thought podcast. The longtime Oklahoma State University power broker joins Kirk and Ced and breaks down his shaky relationship with head football coach Mike Gundy, Oklahoma president David Boren’s ever-changing stance on Big 12 expansion and how the Big 12 conference race looks with league play starting in earnest this weekend.
https://soundcloud.com/austinamericanstatesman/on-second-thought-ep-26-looking-ahead-to-osu-t-boone-pickens-and-more