Expansion debate: Will it be the Bigger 12? Update is coming Monday
After what seems like forever, the Big 12’s presidents and chancellors are scheduled to meet Monday to discuss and maybe even to decide whether the league will expand. It could be that this quasi-public, often unintentionally comical process is about to reach a conclusion — but no one’s really sure what will happen.
Here are the options:
►Add two schools.
►Don’t expand.
►Expand by four.
►Decide nothing, kicking the can down the road a few more weeks or months.
The permutations also could include whether to add football-only or full members.
Whether it was real or only perceived, momentum to expand seems to have dissipated in recent weeks. If so, it’s probably a combination of a couple of factors:
►The league’s TV partners ESPN and FOX aren’t thrilled by the idea of expanding (which would kick in a pro rata clause in the TV contracts that would pay the Big 12 approximately $25 million more per new member per year). The networks have instead floated the idea of kicking in more money – but less than the pro rata clause would call for – for the league to stand pat.
►In the end, the question of expansion returns to the initial calculus: Which bring value, and how much, and is it enough? It’s also possible the Big 12 board could favor expansion in the abstract but remain divided over which schools should be added, and that no candidate gets the requisite eight (of 10) votes.
But the Big 12 is nothing if not unpredictable. In the presidents’ and chancellors last two get-togethers, they surprised everyone by 1) adding a conference championship game (in their June meeting) and 2) instead of quashing expansion, deciding to go full-bore in exploring it (in their July meeting).
At this point, we shouldn’t be surprised by anything that is announced (or not) Monday. The only thing that seems certain is the league won’t contract.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEEK 7