Conference “prepared” to add Pac-12 teams

The Big 12 may soon need to make some key decisions to strengthen themselves, and one of the league’s athletic directors recently said the conference is prepared for that situation, speaking specifically about the Pac-12’s current precarious position.

“I’m certainly not advocating the demise of any particular conference, but I’m also looking out for what’s best for Baylor, and what’s best for Baylor is a really, really strong Big 12 that secures its future, but not It’s over the next six years, but beyond that,” Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades said, according to 365 Sports. “There’s a short win for that, but there’s a long win for that too. It depends on what happens under the Pac-12 .There can be movement if the media deal they can get isn’t satisfactory.We need to be prepared for that.” And I think we are if that were to happen. Again, if we’re looking for the Big 12, how can we strengthen

Rhoades added, “There’s so much out there about the SEC and the Big Ten, and there’s no reason the conversation shouldn’t be about the SEC, the 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 wasn’t a fan.

“It would be disappointing to be completely frank,” Rhoades said, according to 365 Sports. “Where I go first is the brand of the conference, which means recruitment implications. Conversations with my head coaches on branding and linear space — I know everyone’s talking about cable cutting, but (TV) is still the way people follow collegiate athletics. When you think not only about the event itself, but also about the shows during the week and even on game day. At FOX, think about game day and their shows. I think it would be a big disappointment for the sporting directors and their coaches.”

The story goes on

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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 idea boggles my traditionalist brain. In a world that would make any logical sense, the Bulldogs would be up against other California universities and neighboring states. Not schools from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and as far away as West Virginia. Unfortunately, these antiquated notions no longer have a place on the landscape of major collegiate sports. If USC and UCLA can drop the Pac-12 and hook with a conference rooted half a continent away, anything is possible.”

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TampaBay.com: Does USF Meet Big 12 Expansion Criteria?

Matt Baker wrote: “The Big 12 remain open to conference expansion. That’s according to Commissioner Brett Yormark’s recent podcast interview with Pac-12 reporters John Canzano and Jon Wilner. Yormark told them the expansion is “certainly something I think about on a daily basis”. The USF admins probably think about this on a daily basis too. The Bulls are still in the American Athletic Conference as three of their top programs (UCF, Cincinnati and Houston) prepare to join the Big 12 this summer. One of the AAC’s remaining top marks, SMU, is a Pac-12 target.”

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Mountain West Wire: Does Fresno State Make Sense for Big 12?

Jeremy Mauss said, “Adding another TV slot would be huge, and right now the Big 12 only have 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 Talks for Fresno State in both the Big 12 and Pac-12 seem premature, and the latter league seems to have the Bulldogs under SMU , San Diego State and possibly even UNLV.

More:Big Ten expansion, realignment speculation: Conference “comes back for more” Pac-12 teams

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Big 12 Expansion, Realignment: Conference “Prepared” for Pac-12 Teams