It didn’t take long for Bob Bowlsby to address the bigger issues facing the Big 12 as he takes over as commissioner after Chuck Neinas served in an interim role during a tenuous time. As the Big 12 faces competition from bigger conferences like the SEC, the possibility of expansion is going to be something many ask him about — and it’s something he says it an “ongoing consideration” as he heads into the job.
The conference lost Texas A&M and Missouri to the SEC coming up for the 2012-13 season, but they gained TCU and West Virginia. Still the conference is ripe for further expansion from its current 10-team format, especially as others beef up to 14 or more teams. Bowlsby addressed it from his introductory press conference:
“Expansion will be an ongoing consideration for us. I haven’t had the opportunity to talk with all of the presidents about this issue, and I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to all but a couple of the athletic directors. I certainly am not going to presume a direction that we will go. I think, though, as you consider expansion, it has to be expansion that has, as its roots, the enhancement of the league.”
Some have mentioned schools like BYU and Louisville in the recent past as potential expansion possibilities. For now the talk has been quelled, but expect it to rise as the college football season comes nearer.