Big 12 Asks Commissioner Bob Bowlsby to 'Explore Expansion Candidates'

It's been five years since the the Big 12 has added a new program, which appears to be too long based on news coming out of the conference presidents meeting on Tuesday.  

Per ESPN's Jake Trotter, the Big 12 announced that it had asked Commissioner Bob Bowlsby to "explore expansion candidates." Per Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News, Oklahoma president David Boren said the conference "will look at [the] impact of [the] addition of [two] or [four] schools, competitively and financially."     

The motion to expand the conference was unanimously approved, according to Trotter.

Per Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel, Bowlsby said the conference has "been contacted by a number of institutions, and I would imagine after this news breaks, we'll be contacted again."

Per Carlton, Bowlsby explained what the conference will be looking for in new members: "We're looking for members that will grow over time as we grow, bring stability and have a high top end."

Per Carlos Mendez of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Bowlsby said the Big 12 "intend[s] to be very active pretty soon."

ESPN's Brett McMurphy pinpointed how many programs have contacted the Big 12: 

Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel noted the biggest takeaway from Tuesday's meeting is that "expansion is likely. At least by two schools. And possibly four."

The Big 12 has already made one big change this year, unanimously voting to bring back the conference title game in football starting in 2017. The football schedule has relied on a round-robin schedule in the past, but it worked to the conference's detriment in 2014, when the College Football Playoff selection committee left TCU and Baylor out. 

The Big 12 has 10 programs, with West Virginia and TCU being the most recent additions in 2012. Adding more programs to the mix will help the conference's quest to get its own network and increase the amount of money coming in.