Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby wants expansion decision by summer's end

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says he's going to push conference leaders to make decisions one way or the other on the lingering issues of expansion, a football championship game and a league network by the end of the summer.

Athletic directors spent about 90 minutes during the league's spring meetings Wednesday in what were termed "philosophical discussions" about those topics.

The final decisions will be made by the 10-team league's board of directors comprised of school presidents and chancellors. That group, which includes three interim presidents, will join the conference meetings Thursday and Friday and will have a significant amount of data to consider this week and into the summer.

Faculty athletic representatives deadlocked 5-5 regarding a change in a league rule that would have given former Texas Tech walk-on quarterback Baker Mayfield, the fourth-place finisher in the 2015 Heisman Trophy race, an extra season of eligibility at Oklahoma. Mayfield was forced to sit out the 2014 season at Oklahoma despite not being a scholarship athlete at his previous school.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops released a statement in response that read, "I'm incredibly disappointed the rule change proposal wasn't passed today at Big 12 meetings. I hope the conference will reconsider its decision and put the welfare of student-athletes first. It only makes sense for the Big 12's rules to be consistent with those of the NCAA when it comes to non-scholarship walk-on student-athletes.

"Yes, today's vote impacts Baker Mayfield, but in reality this is about all student-athletes in all sports at Big 12 schools. Again, I'm disappointed for Baker, but also for anyone down the road who may be negatively impacted by today's vote."