The Herald-Dispatch: Bowlsby: Big 12 is not interested in expansion

[TopFrog]

The Herald-Dispatch: Bowlsby: Big 12 is not interested in expansion

By TOM BRAGG HD Media

League commissioner Bob Bowlsby shot down the idea of adding new members to the conference during his introductory press conference Monday at Big 12 Media Days at AT&T Stadium.

"We like the 10 we have," Bowlsby said. "We think the full round-robin is the right way to conduct competition and in the case of our basketball, full round-robin. We are distributing record revenues and we have heretofore unanticipated media opportunities and I don't expect that to be an active topic on anybody's agenda within the conference any time in the foreseeable future."

Bowlsby also offered new details on the Big 12's new digital broadcast partnership with ESPN. The new digital network will be called "Big 12 Now" and will be available, behind a paywall, on ESPN+.

Read more at https://www.herald-dispatch.com/spo...cle_7d58c8a9-6458-551f-b388-4b0e4b897e8e.html

 

[Despite the odds Frog]

Some days I think Big 12 will be fine and other days I think it's done. OU cant ignore its base wanting to leave and I think in 2024 they will move on. I think UT is ready to go too...the pressure of A&M rising in the SEC will make them make the decision to do something.

TCU just needs to be ready (learn from the end of the SWC) by making ins with the other power conferences key personnel and boosters.

Maybe one day Big 12 will expand with two solid members, maybe it does stay for generations. There is a reason people ask this question every year. The conference doesn't seem stable. Big 12 needs national championships in football.

 

[netty2424]

Some days I think Big 12 will be fine and other days I think it's done. OU cant ignore its base wanting to leave and I think in 2024 they will move on. I think UT is ready to go too...the pressure of A&M rising in the SEC will make them make the decision to do something.

TCU just needs to be ready (learn from the end of the SWC) by making ins with the other power conferences key personnel and boosters.

Maybe one day Big 12 will expand with two solid members, maybe it does stay for generations. There is a reason people ask this question every year. The conference doesn't seem stable. They need national championships in football.

Good post. It’s a weird deal how the Big12 can’t seem to get away from the stigma of the conference that’s on the brink of collapse, while maintaining a level of profitability that it currently generates.

When big schools like A&M leave a conference, perception to those outside the conference are that it’s weak, or not profitable, or too small.

It’s also a way for other conferences to dog pile and convince themselves their conferences are stronger as a result. Seems to work.

Big12 needs more teams imo. While GP and others promote round robin play as a plus, no one else cares, because no other conference does it.

And where do UT and OU end up if they leave? SEC? How many teams do they need? PAC, no way. Big10, maybe, but do they need more teams?

 

[LeagueCityFrog]

Adding Arizona and Arizona State to the "Southwestern" Big XII division with the 4 Texas schools and kicking OU and friends to the "Northern" division and dropping conference games down to 8 like the SEC would entrench TCU in the Power 5 forever. The Big XII is a reactionary conference and not pro active on the membership front compared to its peer conferences. Be bold Big XII. Pac 12 goes back to Pac 10 and life goes on.

You telling me Gary wouldn't want one more "50/50" non conference Group of 5 game at home in September to finishing dialing in his team before conference play starts? Of course he would and our fans would love one more awesome Fall tailgate weekend at the Carter.

The SEC plays the game the right way minus some of these dumb permanent crossover games i.e. South Caronlina and A&M. I think the Big XII, if they went back to divisions, makes permanent crossover games optional. Like keeping Texas -OU weekend and maybe even Texas Tech and Okie State. But if TCU didn't want go to WVU or Ames every other year, I don't think TCU fans would mind because they picked up pre partying every other year at the W Hotel in Scottsdale or tearing up Tuscon in November. I have nothing against Ames or Morgantown, but Arizona in November is pretty nice.

Go Frogs. Gary was definitely perked up yesterday and I think he knows he has a squad. I was told our locker room was awful last year with too many "I first" players and this year has been the exact opposite. It seems like his biggest concern was finding a center that can accurately call out everyone's blocking when they come to the line and a verified, consistent stud to catch the ball opposite of Reagor so Jalen can't get double teamed every play.

 

[Brevity Frog]

Good post. It’s a weird deal how the Big12 can’t seem to get away from the stigma of the conference that’s on the brink of collapse

Because 10 ≠ 12

 

[Eight]

Some days I think Big 12 will be fine and other days I think it's done. OU cant ignore its base wanting to leave and I think in 2024 they will move on. I think UT is ready to go too...the pressure of A&M rising in the SEC will make them make the decision to do something.

TCU just needs to be ready (learn from the end of the SWC) by making ins with the other power conferences key personnel and boosters.

Maybe one day Big 12 will expand with two solid members, maybe it does stay for generations. There is a reason people ask this question every year. The conference doesn't seem stable. Big 12 needs national championships in football.

ou and texas and their fanbases have this belief that they are trapped in a bad relationship and their lack of success is as result of the conference even though ou has been in the college football playoffs 3(?) times.

how has being in the big 12 hurt ou? texas' problem has been texas and not the big 12.

they remind me of people who get tired of working at their marriages, but really aren't in nearly as bad a situation as they think they are nor nearly as bad as others. they each have friends who left their marriage (i.e. nebraska and atm) and go remarried and ou and texas think the friends ended up in a better situation.

nebraska might be more secure, but are they better off? same with atm in regards to being competitive?

where does texas and ou go where they will carry the weight they now have in the big 12? who will put up with their [ deposit from a bull that looks like Art Briles ] the way the other schools do in the big 12?

texas especially is too scheissing arrogant to believe the devil they know is better than the devil they don't and the true tragedy is they have such size and resources they can destroy another conference and will survive (maybe not thrirve but survive) and don't give a [ Finebaum ] about who they hurt on the way out of the relationship.

 

[Wexahu]

You telling me Gary wouldn't want one more "50/50" non conference Group of 5 game at home in September to finishing dialing in his team before conference play starts? Of course he would and our fans would love one more awesome Fall tailgate weekend at the Carter.

Gary might want it, but I sure as hell don't. This idea that we need to water down our schedule as much as possible in order to be competitive is just stupid. Do you know why SEC teams seem to always be in the thick of the national championship every year? It's because they generally have the best teams, not because of any major scheduling advantage they might have. I agree that the two FCS games every year is BS, but the answer to that is not to do it ourselves because that just makes college football worse. There are enough boring as hell games in September as it is, we don't need more.

I think eventually the SEC will cave and go to 9 conference games anyway.

 

[Casey T]

The B12 is fine. The negative stigma only exists in the media, not in reality, and the media pulls [ Finebaum ] out of their ass often and is just looking for clicks. Take a look at this nba free agency for proof that they have no idea what they’re talking about

 

[Eight]

The B12 is fine. The negative stigma only exists in the media, not in reality, and the media pulls [ steaming pile of Orgeron ] out of their ass often and is just looking for clicks. Take a look at this nba free agency for proof that they have no idea what they’re talking about

hey now, there are multiple, legit sources that all confirm that jimmy butler to the rockets trade will happen annnnnnnnny day now

 

[Hoosierfrog]

TCU just needs to be ready (learn from the end of the SWC) by making ins with the other power conferences key personnel and boosters.

Now, if we just elect a pushy, old hag alum as governor...

 

[asleep003]

Two things the Big 12 is very solid on... though 5th in P5 TV viewership(pop.)

a) 2018, Big12 finished 3rd behind SEC and B10 in game attendance average.
b) Normally finish in the top 3 in Bowl winning % of the P5, annually.
c) Big12 never sat out of the CFP 2 years in a row, as PAC12 and BIG have.

So, the Big12 is no step child in the area of P5 competition and fan interest..

 

[BABYFACE]

Two things the Big 12 is very solid on... though 5th in P5 TV viewership(pop.)

a) 2018, Big12 finished 3rd behind SEC and B10 in game attendance average.
b) Normally finish in the top 3 in Bowl winning % of the P5, annually.
c) Big12 never sat out of the CFP 2 years in a row, as PAC12 and BIG have.

So, the Big12 is no step child in the area of P5 competition and fan interest..

You are forgetting the most important point of all, payout amount per school. Big 12 is head and shoulders above ACC and PAC 12 in money distribution per school.

 

[BABYFACE]

Big 12 will not expand until the money dictates it. That is what Bowlsby is really saying . Only the SEC and Big 10 paid out more. Thus, the Big 12 has no need to expand at this time.

Big 1o is full. SEC seems unlikely to go past 14 and seems content with their status. ACC already has too many teams and with smaller payouts. PAC 12 has room to expand but it is the issue of less money.

The majority of UT and OU alumni are content with the Big 12. You will always have a few that are always unhappy but those people are few and typically just fans, not power brokers within the university. Hell, even some Tech fans think the conference is holding back Texas Tech. See, laughable. Could UT go to the PAC? Yes, but unlikely for less money. Could OU go to the SEC? Yes, but SEC seems content at their size.

OU and UT are the power brokers of the Big 12 and they know it. The money in the Big 12 is good and they have power in this conference. OU feels at home in the old Big 8 membership and the Big 12 conference is closer to that than any other conference by a mile. The Big 12 is not weak or going anywhere despite what some in the media that wish for conference realignment Armageddon so they can cover it.

 

[Eight]

Big 12 will not expand until the money dictates it. That is what Bowlsby is really saying . Only the SEC and Big 10 paid out more. Thus, the Big 12 has no need to expand at this time.

Big 1o is full. SEC seems unlikely to go past 14 and seems content with their status. ACC already has too many teams and with smaller payouts. PAC 12 has room to expand but it is the issue of less money.

The majority of UT and OU alumni are content with the Big 12. You will always have a few that are always unhappy but those people are few and typically just fans, not power brokers within the university. Hell, even some Tech fans think the conference is holding back Texas Tech. See, laughable. Could UT go to the PAC? Yes, but unlikely for less money. Could OU go to the SEC? Yes, but SEC seems content at their size.

OU and UT are the power brokers of the Big 12 and they know it. The money in the Big 12 is good and they have power in this conference. OU feels at home in the old Big 8 membership and the Big 12 conference is closer to that than any other conference by a mile. The Big 12 is not weak or going anywhere despite what some in the media that wish for conference realignment Armageddon so they can cover it.

i agree with this and i truly believe that if the play-off got expanded to 8 with each p5 champion being granted a guaranteed birth there is absolutely no reason for anyone to leave the big 12.

 

[Mean Purple]

Some days I think Big 12 will be fine and other days I think it's done. OU cant ignore its base wanting to leave and I think in 2024 they will move on. I think UT is ready to go too...the pressure of A&M rising in the SEC will make them make the decision to do something.

TCU just needs to be ready (learn from the end of the SWC) by making ins with the other power conferences key personnel and boosters.

Maybe one day Big 12 will expand with two solid members, maybe it does stay for generations. There is a reason people ask this question every year. The conference doesn't seem stable. Big 12 needs national championships in football.

Does not help things that Bowlsby is an empty suit.

 

[MAcFroggy]

The big 12 winning a championship in MBB or CFB would help a lot. However, in the past two years the big 12 has had:

2017-2018: CFP participant, men's final four team, 2 CWS participants
2018-2019: CFP participant, Men's basketball runner-up, WBB champion, and CWS semi-finalist

That is a very successful two year stretch for a conference. That does not include smaller sports that the conference has had success in.

The big 12 definitely has some issues to work out, but I think the Big 12 made it out of the bickering and in-fighting that had existed in the past. Bowlsby has turned out to be an amazing hire for the conference. He has solidified the commissioner position and is the first leader that has had all of the schools defer to his leadership. I have no idea if the Big 12 will survive, but it is not going to be because of poor leadership.

 

[Wexahu]

i agree with this and i truly believe that if the play-off got expanded to 8 with each p5 champion being granted a guaranteed birth there is absolutely no reason for anyone to leave the big 12.

I don't think there's any reason for a team to leave the Big 12 even if that doesn't happen. The idea that you have to have a team in the CFP is a media driven myth. The Big 10 hasn't had a team in the CFP for two straight years now and nobody is saying they need to change a thing. Not sure why the Big 12 is any different.

The only reason for anyone to leave the conference is if they are chasing after a few extra $$$s, and the only teams that would ever leave anyway already bring in plenty.

 

[Wexahu]

Does not help things that Bowlsby is an empty suit.

Except he's not. I think the conference is in a pretty good place right now, he's done a pretty good job IMO.

 

[Wexahu]

The big 12 winning a championship in MBB or CFB would help a lot. However, in the past two years the big 12 has had:

2017-2018: CFP participant, men's final four team, 2 CWS participants
2018-2019: CFP participant, Men's basketball runner-up, WBB champion, and CWS semi-finalist

That is a very successful two year stretch for a conference. That does not include smaller sports that the conference has had success in.

The big 12 definitely has some issues to work out, but I think the Big 12 made it out of the bickering and in-fighting that had existed in the past. Bowlsby has turned out to be an amazing hire for the conference. He has solidified the commissioner position and is the first leader that has had all of the schools defer to his leadership. I have no idea if the Big 12 will survive, but it is not going to be because of poor leadership.

The frustrating thing to me is that the Big 12 seems to be the only conference whose entire self-image seems to be based on whether they have a team in the CFP.

 

[Christcu]

Some days I think Big 12 will be fine and other days I think it's done. OU cant ignore its base wanting to leave and I think in 2024 they will move on. I think UT is ready to go too...the pressure of A&M rising in the SEC will make them make the decision to do something.

TCU just needs to be ready (learn from the end of the SWC) by making ins with the other power conferences key personnel and boosters.

Maybe one day Big 12 will expand with two solid members, maybe it does stay for generations. There is a reason people ask this question every year. The conference doesn't seem stable. Big 12 needs national championships in football.

The revenue is pretty stable......so far.