Big 12 Expansion: Conference Leadership Votes No-Go

In a meeting of the conference board of directors in Dallas on Monday, the university presidents voted not to add any new teams, thus putting the kibosh – for the near term, at least – on Big 12 expansion.

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and Oklahoma president and Big 12 board chairman David Boren announced in a news conference Monday afternoon following a meeting with the university presidents that the conference would remain at its current structure of 10 member schools.

USA Today Sports reported today that the school presidents were expected to discuss potential candidates Houston, Brigham Young, Cincinnati, SMU, Air Force, Central Florida, Colorado State, Rice, South Florida and Tulane.

OU President Boren said in the news conference, however, that there “was no discussion of individual schools in the sense of taking votes or trying to sense support for schools.”

Asked if expansion was still on the table for the Big 12, Bowlsby said. “We do not consider it an active agenda item.”

“We would never say never,” Boren said, adding “we don’t feel a sense of urgency to expand just for expansion’s sake.”

Boren went on to say that he sensed great commitment from all the current conference membership.

“What I’ve heard in the last 24 hours was the strongest expression of cohesion and commitment I’ve ever heard,” he said. “No one is looking to leave the conference.”

The Big 12 announced in June that it will return its football championship game beginning in the 2017 season, regardless of a decision on expansion.

There is major concern among college football experts that the Big 12 will not survive long term, certainly not as a major conference, if it does not add members to maintain a size and strength that is comparable to the other major conferences.