Big-12 Bob Bowlsby Begins Contacts With Schools On Expansion, LINK!

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

If I was the Big-12, I would not limit to Two Programs, but go to 16 to 18 Programs and here would be my choices;

Two Choices: 12 Teams
UCINCY-Ohio
MEMPHIS-Tennessee

Four Choices: 14 Teams
UCINCY-Ohio
UCONN-Connecticut
TEMPLE-Pennsylvania
MEMPHIS-Tennessee

Six Choices: 16 Teams
UCINCY-Ohio
TEMPLE-Pennsylvania
UCONN- Connecticut
MEMPHIS-Tennessee
HOUSTON-Texas
BYU-Utah

Eight Choices: 18 Teams
UCINCY-Ohio
TEMPLE-Pennsylvania
UCONN- Connecticut
MEMPHIS-Tennessee
HOUSTON-Texas
BYU-Utah
USF -Florida
ECU-North Carolina

Possible Back-Ups:
SMU-Texas
CSU-Colorado
BOISE-Idaho
UCF-Florida

Excerpt:
The Big 12 Conference announced Tuesday that it has authorized commissioner Bob Bowlsby to begin exploring expansion candidates..................The Big 12 has been getting pitches behind the scenes for months from American Athletic Conference schools such as Cincinnati, Connecticut, Memphis, Houston and Central Florida. BYU, a football independent, has made it known it wants into a Power 5 conference. Colorado State has also reached out to Big 12 leaders............
Big 12 leaders have acknowledged that none of the available schools is a natural fit. None is guaranteed to deliver both highly competitive teams -- especially football teams -- as well as large new markets to increase the value of future media deals. "We are looking for members that will grow over time as we grow," Bowlsby said. "That bring stability. That have a high top end."
LINK
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/17108512/big-12-begin-exploring-expansion-candidates

 

[BFo8]

If it wasn't for the issue of not playing on Sunday's I would think BYU would be at the top of the list. Great tradition and fan support plus an international footprint.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Houston and Memphis if they do 2.

Colorado State gets thrown in there if they do 14. Not sure who the last team would be. My guess would be Central Florida or possibly Cincinnati.

 

[ThePanthers]

Byu, cincy, and uconn are the obvious top 3 with Houston and Memphis being the choice for four. They won't go beyond four.

Their conference is a freaking soap opera.

 

[Zombieking]

Cincinnati for wvu, then imo either csu.. (Building a new stadium, growing, gets them back into Colorado and close to Kansas etc. or Houston. I don't see Memphis getting added but maybe I am wrong. More likely byu to large viewership or central Florida to recruit there.

 

[pittdan77]

So I guess the ACC breaking up and the Big 12 picking over the remains didn't pan out the way they had hoped?

 

[eastcoasthoops]

So I guess the ACC breaking up and the Big 12 picking over the remains didn't pan out the way they had hoped?

You'll need to confirm all of this with The Dude of WV. He's really tied into all of these tectonic shifts in the college athletics landscape. The guy, I'm sorry..."The Dude", is like a fortune teller. Everything he sees becomes reality.

 

[Las Panteras]

If Im Bowlsby....I go after Penn State.....

The B1G would love nothing more than to get rid of this steaming pile of embarrassment.....and they would have a natural geographic rival with those stupid hicks from Morganhole........

 

[Begbie_Nole]

CSU should be one of the top choices.. Huge school in new state that is in their footprint. Of course BYU as well.

 

[Zombieking]

Yeah I would've thought csu and byu, but I think wvu will push for cinci which they should. Taking those and leaving wvu hanging would maybe make it tough for a vote to pass.

 

[pittdan77]

I really don't know that expansion is a "dead lock". If you read the way it was worded, Bowlsby got the green light to look it over.

Seems like none of the strong choices, other than Cincy, do much for WVU. If any final choices surface, it will be interesting to see if WVU gets any geographical help.

 

[JHud986]

Wonder how Texas feels about sharing it's monies!
BYU and Colorado State would be the ideal pick for them.
Sucks to be wvu!