The Big 12 conference currently has 10 teams, and the call for expansion has gotten loud over the course of the day. Sure enough, one individual who is all for the conference going back up to 12 teams is Kansas State Wildcats head football coach Bill Snyder, who gave Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News the answer as to what he feels the Big 12 should be.
K-State's Bill Snyder said he favors old-school Big 12: 12 teams, two divisions, championship game.
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) July 20, 2015
The Big 12 used to have as many as 14 teams, but that all changed in the past few years. Texas A&M and Missouri left for the SEC in 2012, while Colorado did the same for the Pac-12 and Nebraska for the Big Ten the year before. This has generated controversy because the NCAA requires that a conference have 12 teams in order to hold a championship football game, and that caused a mess last season when Baylor and TCU finished with identical conference records before being crowned as co-champions even though the Bears beat the Horned Frogs during the season. Sure enough, tiebreaker rules were then put into effect and will be enforced starting in 2015.
But despite the want for expansion, conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby doesn’t see any need for it, as was reported by ESPN’s Max Olson and USA Today’s George Schroeder.
Bowlsby: "It is my understanding at present time that majority of our presidents/chancellors believe 10 is right number for us."
— Max Olson (@max_olson) July 20, 2015
Bowlsby on expansion, as you knew he would: "At the present time I don’t think there’s critical mass for expansion."
— George Schroeder (@GeorgeSchroeder) July 20, 2015
Bowlsby may think that, but the fact that the Big 12 doesn’t have a championship game is ridiculous. The other Power 5 conferences all have one, and the Big 12 should be no exception with schools like BYU and Cincinnati willing to move.
Hopefully, a change happens sooner rather than later.
Can’t get enough of Campus Sports? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay updated with the latest news and exclusive giveaways!
*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
