Big 12 vows unanimity, at least publicly, as expansion talks continue

IRVING, Texas — In the next few months, we probably shouldn’t expect to hear quite as much from Oklahoma President David Boren. At least, not on the biggest topics facing the Big 12.

The league’s presidents and chancellors emerged from a meeting Friday at the Big 12’s suburban Dallas headquarters with a commitment to continue to study expansion, a conference championship game and a conference network. The only concrete action taken, according to Kansas State President Kirk Schulz, was to agree to defer comments on those issues to Bowlsby “for the next several months.”

Boren had been outspoken on several occasions in the last month — including in a 54-minute session with reporters after a regents’ meeting last week — on his views that the Big 12 should expand and add a title game and a network. In an interview with the Tulsa World, he called the league “disadvantaged by being the ‘little brother’” as compared to its other Power Five peers in all three areas.

At Big 12 meetings, is no news good news?

Schulz said the presidents each had an opportunity Friday to speak their mind. Bowlsby called it “a lot of smart people sitting in a room laying their cards on the table and talking about what will make the conference stronger going forward” — but neither Bowlsby nor Schulz would be specific. Schulz spoke in his capacity as chair of the Big 12’s board of directors; several other presidents, including Boren, declined interview requests because of the newly adopted one-voice policy.

“If you’re having a family argument is it better to do it at Applebee’s or at home?” Schulz said. “I think we’re at a point where we decided today that when we have the family arguments we’re going to do it at home with the door shut.”

Though Schulz wouldn’t disclose his personal leanings on any topic, he said the perception of the Big 12 as unstable “drives me bananas.” He said the presidents had a “unanimity” of purpose, and that all members were open to exploring the possibilities on each topic.

Like the Big 12’s athletic directors had a day earlier, the presidents were presented with data projects for a variety of possibilities. They will continue to study options, according to Bowlsby, in meetings in May and June.  There was no indication provided on anyone’s leaning on any topic, though.

“We’re ready to do what we need to make sure the conference is strong,” Schulz said. “We’ve come a long way in the last six months. If we’re committed to the strength of the conference, then it becomes tactical.”

Expansion appears to remain highly unlikely, at least in the short term. It’s unclear if the other two topics have gained much traction, either.

Although a conference network was discussed, it would require Texas to give up the Longhorn Network, from which the school reaps an average of $15 million a year from ESPN. The league’s other members also would have to unwind media rights deals.

Perhaps most likely would be a conference championship game — though not for 2016. Schulz wouldn’t say if the presidents might be ready by the league’s meetings in May or June to vote, at least, on whether to hold a title game in 2017 (Bowlsby had previously said 2016 is “highly unlikely”).

“We’ve just got to continue to look at everything,” Schulz said.

And for now at least, to do less talking about it all.

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