Bob Bowlsby says Big 12 expansion not favored by majority
Not long after Oklahoma president David Boren reiterated his desire for the Big 12 to get back to 12 teams, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said he didn’t feel Boren’s sentiments were the majority.
“We talk about membership at every meeting,” Bowlsby told the Dallas Morning News. “I think our presidents individually have their own opinions on things. President Boren expressed his today.
“I have not got the indication that the majority of our presidents feel that way. I get the feeling that nothing has changed since we last discussed it.”
Ever since the Big 12 was downsized to 10, Boren has advocated for the Big 12 to get back to a dozen. He also preached patience on Wednesday, saying the league should take the time to be choosy while it is in a position of stability.
Boren also said the league’s primary television contract would increase proportionally depending on the number of teams the conference would add through expansion. Bowlsby told the DMN that the primary TV contract is 40-45 percent of the conference’s revenue and other revenue would need to be split 12 ways instead of 10 if the conference added two teams.
Because it has 10 teams, the conference is currently unable to host a football conference championship game. While the league is still advocating for the 12-team minimum for conference title games to be dropped before the 2016 season, Bowlsby said in May he wasn’t “sensing” a conference push to add a game. The Big 12 plays a nine-game round-robin conference schedule.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
