http://newsok.com/tramel-ou-not-anti-expansion-ou-is-anti-expansion-candidates/article/5520007
Tramel: OU not anti-expansion; OU is anti-expansion candidates
Berry Tramel
Published: September 27, 2016 8:25 PM CDT
Updated: September 27, 2016 10:26 PM CDT
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Big 12 expansion never has been and never will be a decision based on the comparative values of 10 members vs. 12.
To expand or not expand, that is not the question. Since the league lost Nebraska and Colorado, then Texas A&M and Missouri, the evergreen question has not been how many. The evergreen question has been who.
Which schools could fill the voids in marketing and competition and academics and geography?
The answer, no one. There were no perfect available candidates. There aren't any candidates who really can come close.
Which is why Big 12 expansion talks have ground to a halt, despite the league's July announcement that it was taking applications. Sports Illustrated led the media reports Tuesday, saying that OU President David Boren's assertion two weeks ago that expansion is “not a sure thing” has Big 12 decision-makers believing that Boren has reversed his stance on expansion and that it's not likely to happen despite the pony-and-dog show of the last two months.
Boren has not reversed his stance on expansion. He periodically wavers in his enthusiasm, one way or the other, and sometimes he does feel a longing for 12 members in a league that has 12 in its name.
But the truth is, Boren and every other cautious Big 12 administrator would embrace expansion, if two good candidates presented themselves.
“From Day One, expanding was OK if we replaced the teams we lost with teams of equal stature,” said an OU administrator Tuesday. “They are not out there.”
Brigham Young. Houston. Cincinnati. Connecticut. All have pluses and minuses. We can debate which candidates offer the best portfolios. We cannot debate that all have minuses.
Nebraska didn't have minuses. Texas A&M didn't have minuses. Colorado and Missouri didn't have minuses. All flagship universities in their states. All deep roots with fellow conference schools. All a decent (or better) amount of football tradition. All academically stout (all four members of the prestigious Association of American Universities).
“The teams we need have left,” another Big 12 administrator said Tuesday. “Whoever you add out there really devalues the whole conference. They don't add anything. Just to get 12? What's sacred about a number? Does that make you stable?”
Cont'd ...
