The Big 12 may soon have some big decisions to make in order to strengthen itself and one of the league’s athletic directors recently said that the conference is prepared for that situation, specifically talking about the current precarious footing of the Pac-12.
“I am certainly not rooting for the demise of any particular conference, but I am also looking out for what is best for Baylor and what is best for Baylor is a really really strong Big 12, and one that secures its future but not over just the next six years but beyond,” Baylor Athletic Director Mack Rhoades said, according to 365 Sports. “There is a short gain but also a long gain for this. It is dependent on what happens among the Pac-12. There may be movement if whatever media deal they are able to strike is not satisfactory. We have to be prepared for that and I think we are if that was to happen. Again, looking out for the Big 12, how do we strengthen ourselves.”
Rhoades added: “There is so much about the SEC and the Big Ten, and there is no reason why the conversation can’t be about the SEC, Big Ten and the Big 12.”
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Interestingly, Rhoades also addressed the reported option for the Pac-12 to have a streaming service partner in its media rights deal.
He was not a fan.
“It would be disappointing to be quite frank,” Rhoades said, according to 365 Sports. “Where I go first is the brand of the conference, which means impact on recruiting. Conversations with my head coaches, in terms of brand building and linear space — I know everyone talks about cord-cutting, but (TV) is still the way people follow college athletics. If you think about not just the event itself but the shows throughout the week and even on game day. With FOX, you think about game day and their shows. I think it would be a big disappointment for the athletic directors and their coaches.”
More:Big 12 realignment, expansion: Pac-12 school additions would alter look of conference
Fresno Bee: Big 12 an option for Fresno State?
Mark Warszawski wrote: “Fresno State to the Big 12? As a lifelong Californian and geography enthusiast, the very notion befuddles my traditionalist brain. In a world that made any logical sense, the Bulldogs would be competing against fellow California universities and those from neighboring states. Not schools from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and as far away as West Virginia. Sadly, those antiquated notions no longer have a place in the landscape of big-time college sports. When USC and UCLA can ditch the Pac-12 and hook up with a conference rooted half a continent away, all bets are off.”
Big 12 expansion prediction:4 Pac-12 schools to join conference
TampaBay.com: Does USF fit Big 12’s expansion criteria?
Matt Baker wrote: “The Big 12 remains open to conference expansion. That’s clear from commissioner Brett Yormark’s recent podcast interview with Pac-12 reporters John Canzano and Jon Wilner. Yormark told them expansion is “certainly something I think about daily.” USF administrators probably think about it daily, too. The Bulls are still in the American Athletic Conference as three of its top programs (UCF, Cincinnati and Houston) prepare to join the Big 12 this summer. One of the AAC’s top remaining brands, SMU, is a Pac-12 target.”
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Mountain West Wire: Does Fresno State make sense for Big 12?
Jeremy Mauss wote: “Adding another TV slot would be huge and right now the Big 12 has only BYU in the Mountain time zone, so adding a team like Fresno State in the Pacific time zone would add a later time slot with more options. The talks for Fresno State in both the Big 12 and Pac-12 seem premature, and the latter league seems to have the Bulldogs below SMU, San Diego State, and possibly even UNLV.”
More:Big Ten expansion, realignment speculation: Conference ‘coming back for more’ Pac-12 teams
Reach Jeremy Cluff at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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