Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione Comments on Big 12 Expansion

The Big 12 expansion, seen as necessary by some members for the long-term viability of the conference, is not happening anytime soon. 

"There aren't any signs that we'll talk anymore about expansion for a little while," Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione told Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports. "We don't have a timeline on it."

The Big 12 has been stuck at 10 full-time members since Colorado and Nebraska left in 2011. The conference brought in West Virginia and TCU in 2012 as replacements for the departing Missouri and Texas A&M, which went to the SEC.

For the past half-decade, the Big 12 has struggled to keep up with other Power Five conferences—particularly in football. It was the only one without a conference championship game, and the advent of the Longhorn Network—the very thing that saved the Big 12 from dissolution a half-decade ago—has prevented a league-owned television station.

The Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12 all have their own networks, which have varying levels of success.

In recent years, expansion has been seen as necessary to increase the competition level and the revenue of the Big 12. Adding two teams would allow the conference to have a more traditional alignment of a split into two divisions and the reinstitution of a championship game.

The Big 12 took the first step earlier this year. It will bring back the conference title game in 2017 thanks to an NCAA rule change that allows conferences with fewer than 12 teams to hold a championship. 

The topic of expansion has been much more muddied. A source told Dodd an expansion regarding "those teams"—alluding to Brigham Young, UCF, Cincinnati, Colorado State, UConn, Houston and Memphis as potential candidates—didn't have a chance of happening. There was no resolution to expansion talks when Big 12 officials met in June, and Castiglione was not optimistic about a change in heart.

"I stop short of speaking in absolutes about anything regarding conference realignment outside the contracts that exist," Castiglione said. "We've seen things happen that one could never imagine...[but] I don't see any conversation in the near future."

The Big 12 will not launch a league-owned network at this time. Texas, which gets a massive financial windfall from the Longhorn Network, is seen as the biggest holdout against both expansion and a change to the television structure. The school was in a position of historic power when negotiating to stay in the Big 12 over joining the Pac-12, and there is not much financial incentive for it to split the pie more.

"I don't know where we're at," Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby told Dodd. "I know we haven't brought it to a conclusion. That conclusion may very well be status quo. Until we get together and the chancellors and presidents make it a decision, I consider it a pending issue."

Big 12 officials are expected to meet again July 19. Oklahoma president David Boren said the conference "may need a unanimous vote" to realistically expand, per Sports Illustrated.  

 

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.