College Confidential

Late push for Louisville clouding Big 12 expansion plans

While the Big 12 waits on a final declaration from Missouri about its plans to move to another league, Louisville has mounted a last-minute push to try and secure the spot that league officials have indicated will belong to West Virginia.

A day after multiple Big 12 sources said they were prepared to invite West Virginia to become the league’s 10th member, assuming a departure by Missouri, some league administrators today have begun pitching Louisville instead.

One league source confirmed a New York Times report that cited a lobbying effort led by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Senate minority leader, as a factor in the current state of flux.

Multiple league sources have said that Big 12 television partners favor West Virginia as the league’s 10th team if Missouri departs because it offers higher television ratings for football than Louisville and would allow the league to maximize the value of existing TV contracts once Missouri and Texas A&M leave the league.

It remains unclear whether the split opinion will be enough to quash West Virginia’s bid to become a Big 12 member. One Big 12 source said today that the Louisville pushback represents nothing more than “a little slowdown” in the process because the TV partners favor West Virginia.

_ Jimmy Burch

TCU women lose another key player before season begins Nov. 11

TCU women’s basketball guard Briesha Wynn has been suspended indefinitely for academic reasons, coach Jeff Mittie announced Tuesday. Wynn, a sophomore from North Crowley, was expected to contend for a starting spot this season.
"She needs to get her academics in order before she can return to the court for us," Mittie said. "We expect her to do that."
The news comes just days after the team announced that starting forward Starr Crawford, an All-Preseason Mountain West selection, will miss the season with an injury. The Horned Frogs season begins Nov. 11 at Georgia.

-- Stefan Stevenson
@FollowtheFrogs

West Virginia prepared to join Big 12 if Missouri departs

West Virginia is expected to receive and accept an offer to join the Big 12 once Missouri’s departure to the Southeastern Conference becomes official, sources close to the situation confirmed today.

Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton said today that his school hopes to announce a decision about its future conference home within “days, possibly a week or two. The sooner the better.”

Deaton made his comments during an interview on KFRU 1400 AM in Columbia, Mo. Missouri, which is contemplating membership in the Southeastern Conference, has yet to withdraw from the Big 12 but Deaton said administrators have “reached a firmness in where we are headed.”

Deaton said he abstained from most of Monday’s meeting of Big 12 presidents and did not vote on any issues at the advice of legal counsel. Multiple Big 12 sources have indicated they anticipate an imminent departure by Missouri, with the contingency plan calling for an invitation to be extended to West Virginia as soon as possible after Missouri’s departure.

Although a New York Times report quoted a source saying West Virginia had “applied and are accepted” for Big 12 membership, league sources indicated no official bid has been extended _ and will not be _ until the Missouri situation is final. One league source said the plan to approach West Virginia is “done.”

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, a member of the league’s five-person expansion committee, said Saturday that Big 12 officials were prepared to “make a decision quickly” if Missouri departs.

Both the Charleston Daily Mail and the Charleston Gazette posted reports on their websites today about West Virginia’s imminent move to the Big 12, saying a formal announcement is expected soon.

A West Virginia departure from the Big East, under Big East bylaws, could not occur until June 30, 2014 and would require the school to pay a $5 million exit fee. The exit fee would increase to $10 million if the Big East adds teams before West Virginia departs. But the timetable, at this juncture, would be the same as the 2014 departure date facing fellow Big East members Syracuse and Pittsburgh before they join the ACC.

Big 12 sources indicated they expect some flexibility on West Virginia’s departure date once the Big East finds replacement schools. Big East officials are courting multiple schools, including SMU and Houston, in efforts to create a 12-team football league.

In terms of realignment, one source said: “Deadlines and requirements, at the end of the day, seem to be nothing more than guideposts.”

Missouri officials have expressed a desire to move to the SEC for the 2012 football season, a timetable that conflicts with the plan outlined Oct. 11 by Chuck Neinas, the Big 12 interim commissioner. Neinas said he envisions Missouri being part of a 10-team Big 12 during the 2012-13 school year, along with newcomer TCU, regardless of where the Tigers anchor their sports teams for the long haul.

One Big 12 source suggested that West Virginia might be able to replace Missouri on the league’s  2012 football schedules when the latest wave of expansion is complete. But such a timetable seems unlikely at this juncture. From a Big 12 perspective, Neinas and other league officials have stressed that a 10-team configuration for next football season is imperative to provide enough games to meet existing contracts with TV partners.

“With only nine teams, that could be a challenge,” Castiglione said Saturday.

Although the topic was discussed Monday, Big 12 officials have yet to reach a consensus about whether the league should operate as a 10- or 12-member conference for the long haul. The priority at this point is to establish a 10-team nucleus with West Virginia replacing Missouri _ assuming the Tigers are SEC-bound _ and to consider additional expansion once that move is final. If the league moves to 12 teams, the next expansion targets appear to be Louisville and Brigham Young.

Asked today about a timetable for Missouri’s anticipated move to the SEC, Deaton said: “These are not decisions that can just be made at the press of a button. We are not delaying anything beyond what has to be delayed to make the right decision … Our head has to outweigh our heart in achieving some of our objectives because our heart might not lead us in the right direction for the University of Missouri.”

League sources have confirmed recent discussions about Notre Dame anchoring its non-football sports in the Big 12, rather than the Big East, while scheduling some football games against league schools to add value to existing and future TV contracts. But that idea remains only in the discussion stages and Notre Dame officials have indicated they plan to wait and see what happens in regard to Big East expansion before deciding if they would move their non-football sports to another league.

At this point, a Big 12 source said the league’s expansion committee is focused on adding teams that would be full members of the conference rather than partial members.

Follow Jimmy Burch on Twitter @Jimmy_Burch.

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Missouri still "days" and possibly "a week or two" away from deciding its future in realignment

Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton said today that his school hopes to announce a decision about its future conference home within “days, possibly a week or two. The sooner the better.”

Deaton made his comments during an interview on KFRU 1400 AM in Columbia, Mo. Missouri, which is contemplating membership in the Southeastern Conference, has yet to withdraw from the Big 12 but Deaton said he abstained from most of Monday’s meeting of league presidents _ and did not vote on any issues _ on the advice of legal counsel.

In terms of the school’s anticipated move to the SEC, Deaton said: “These are not decisions that can just be made at the press of a button. We are not delaying anything beyond what has to be delayed to make the right decision … Our head has to outweigh our heart in achieving some of our objectives because our heart might not lead us in the right direction for the University of Missouri.”

_ Jimmy Burch

Texas' Robinson, OU's Lewis selected as Butkus Award semifinalists

Texas’ Keenan Robinson and Oklahoma’s Travis Lewis are two of 12 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, given to the top linebacker in college football. Award organizers also announced that Jordan Richmond, a linebacker from Denton Ryan, has been selected as one of 15 finalists for the High School Butkus Award.

_ Jimmy Burch

Five Big 12 quarterbacks selected as O'Brien semifinalists, most from any conference

Five quarterbacks from Big 12 schools have been selected among the 16 finalists for the 2011 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, the highest total from any conference.

The list, announced today by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, includes Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones, Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden, Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill and Texas Tech’s Seth Doege.

The list of semifinalists includes two of last year’s O’Brien finalists: Stanford’s Andrew Luck, a frontrunner in the Heisman Trophy race, and Boise State’s Kellen Moore, who tied an NCAA record with his 45^th career victory as a starting quarterback in last week’s 37-26 victory over Air Force.

Also included is Houston’s Case Keeneum, a 2009 O’Brien finalist who received a medical redshirt for the 2010 season after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery.

On a conference-by-conference basis, the 2011 O’Brien semifinalists come from the following leagues: Big 12 (5), Pac-12 (4), Big Ten (3), ACC (1), Conference USA (1), Mountain West (1) and SEC (1).

Members of the O’Brien selection committee narrowed the field from a list that included all 120 starting quarterbacks from FBS schools. An online fan vote also contributed five percent of the total vote.

The list of semifinalists will be trimmed to three finalists on Nov. 21, with a live announcement of the winner during the The Home Depot College Football Awards Show, Dec. 8 on ESPN.

Fans can vote for finalists at www.VoteOBrien.org., with the deadline for fan voting at noon on Nov. 20. The winner will be honored at the Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner, Feb. 20, 2012 at the Fort Worth Club.

 

The full list of O’Brien semifinalists, in alphabetical order:

 Matt Barkley JR USC Pac-12

Tajh Boyd SO Clemson ACC

Kirk Cousins SR Michigan State Big Ten

Seth Doege JR Texas Tech Big 12

Robert Griffin III JR Baylor Big 12

Landry Jones JR Oklahoma Big 12

Case Keenum SR Houston C-USA

Andrew Luck SR Stanford Pac-12

Kellen Moore SR Boise St. MWC

Keith Price SO Washington Pac-12

Denard Robinson JR Michigan Big Ten

Ryan Tannehill SR Texas A&M Big 12

Darron Thomas JR Oregon Pac-12

Brandon Weeden SR Oklahoma State Big 12

Russell Wilson SR Wisconsin Big Ten

Tyler Wilson JR Arkanasas SEC

 

 _ Jimmy Burch

 

 

Monday morning Big 12 coaches teleconference notes

First up is Texas coach Mack Brown:

Brown talked about his defense and the big uglies up front on both sides of the ball.

Comparing what the Longhorns used to roll out up front to what they have now, Brown said that is the reason he hired OL coach Stacy Searles and D-Coordinator Manny Diaz, as they are familiar and have been in the trenches in the SEC.

Brown said the SEC is the epitome of smashmouth football and said that is a big difference from his, the Big 12 and the SEC - which he considers the elite of being able to run the football and hurt you up front.

Brown also said not having a solidified option at quarterback to begin the season and even now has clearly hurt his team and continues to do so.

"We are scoring 30 points a game and that is not enough in this league," Brown said.

 

Big 12 Players of the Week:

Offense: Seth Doege, QB, Texas Tech

Defense: Shaun Lewis, LB, Oklahoma State

Special Teams: Tyler Lockett, KR/WR, Kansas State

 

Some future TV schedule announcements for Nov. 5 games:

Texas Tech at Texas 11 a.m. FX

K-State at Oklahoma State at 2:30 or 7 p.m. ABC

Texas A&M at Oklahoma 2:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. ABC

Mizzou at Baylor 6 p.m. FSSW

 

Next up is Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops:

Stoops said the second quarter and into the third killed his squad in a loss to Texas Tech on Saturday.

"Tech just outplayed us in that period of time....It still gets down to execution...You've got a fumble, an interception and four straight three-and-outs.

Stoops said the Sooners had too many negative plays in the loss.

Stoops talked about Kansas State coach Bill Snyder and his staff and what kinds of problems the undefeated Wildcats pose.

Oklahoma takes on K-State this weekend and Stoops said he is not surprised with the success Snyder has brought back to the Wildcats and mentioned KR/WR Tyler Lockett, who is the Big 12 special teams player of the week, as someone the Sooners will have to key on Saturday in order to have success.

 

Next up is Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy...

As the Cowboys have moved up in the rankings, Gundy said keeping his team focused and playing at a high level every week is one of his and his staff's biggest challenge.

"We are in March Madness from Sept. 1 in football. There are not many opportunities to slip..."

Gundy said WR Justin Blackmon, who was injured against Missouri on Saturday, would be reevaluated on Tuesday morning. Gundy said Blackmon was held out for precautionary reasons.

"He was fine last night...I think he is going to be fine."

On Baylor and QB Robert Griffin III (Okla State's opponent this weekend):

"He is extremely accurate at throwing the ball down the field," Gundy said.

 

Next up is Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville:

On QB Seth Doege and his role in the upset over Oklahoma on Saturday:

"I thought it was a huge growing up process for him...he is a battler and there's no one else I'd rather have at quarterback than him.

"There were some throws he made that second half - not too many people could have made them."

Tuberville said the win has already helped and will help in the long run in recruiting.

He also said he fed his team sandwiches during the lightning delay on Saturday and that may have to be an every-week ritual now, considering the success the Red Raiders had.

Tuberville said he is not for a playoff in college football but is in favor of a plus-1 format.

"I am definitely against an 8 or 16 team playoff," he said.

He said being able to run the ball on first down and the effectiveness of screens really helped guide his offense in addition to the play of Doege.

 

 Next up is Baylor coach Art Briles:

On using the bye week to recuperate and prepare for Oklahoma State this weekend:

"I think mentally - very productive. It's kind of an opportunity for our guys to start over again."

On Oklahoma State: "They are to the point where they have certainly earned a lot of national respect....They play an active style of defense."

On Baylor's defense:

"The system is in place and the execution of the system is sometimes a different story. I am excited about the future and the future is now."

 

 Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman is up next:

Sherman said he has not paid a lot of attention on Missouri's potential move to the SEC and said the atmosphere in the Aggies-Tigers game would be big-time regardless of what happens.

 

 

Injury knocks TCU reserve LT Michael Thompson out for rest of season

Reserve left tackle Michael Thompson will miss the rest of the season after sustaining an undisclosed leg injury in the third quarter Saturday, TCU coach Gary Patterson said.
Patterson said after Saturday’s game the redshirt freshman’s injury occurred away from contact, and indicated it was likely serious.
James Dunbar, who had been academically ineligible through the first six games, was available and replaced Thompson. Starter Jeff Olson, along with the rest of the first team linemen, sat out most of the second half.
TCU (5-2, 3-0 in the Mountain West) meets BYU (6-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. The game will be televised on ESPN.

-- Stefan Stevenson
@FollowtheFrogs

West Virginia looms as leading candidate if more Big 12 expansion is needed

Big 12 presidents meet Monday to discuss plans to address the anticipated departure of Missouri, with multiple league sources identifying West Virginia as a slight favorite over Louisville as the primary target for the next wave of expansion. But sources said today that is not a unanimous opinion.

Brigham Young could enter the picture, sources said, if the league opts to operate as a 12-team league for the long term.

Missouri’s board of curators gave Chancellor Brady Deaton the authority Friday to move the school to another league. Deaton, who is scheduled to attend Monday’s meeting, has confirmed discussions with the Southeastern Conference and expressed a desire to move for the 2012 football season.

That timetable conflicts with the expectations of Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas, who said on Oct. 11 that he envisions Missouri being part of a 10-member league, along with newcomer TCU, for the 2012-13 school year. Missouri’s departure timetable is expected to be addressed Monday.

A Big 12 spokesman said today that Missouri has yet to send an official letter of withdrawal to the league and Neinas has expressed hope that the school could be convinced to remain. But multiple league sources anticipate Missouri’s departure, regardless of the timetable.

Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, a member of the league’s five-person expansion committee, said Saturday that league officials expect to “make a decision quickly” in regard to a replacement team if one is needed.

Although Louisville is closer in proximity to current Big 12 schools than West Virginia, a league source said today that the Mountaineers have an edge because realignment is being driven by television considerations and the school brings better TV ratings to the table.

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Tech QB Doege receives national weekly honor

Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege was selected today as the FBS national offensive player of the week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Doege threw for 441 yards and four touchdowns in the Red Raiders’ 41-38 upset of Oklahoma, which entered the game ranked No. 3 in the BCS standings and No. 1 in the coaches poll.

Clemson defensive end Kourtnei Brown, who scored two touchdowns in a 59-38 victory over North Carolina, received the defensive honor. Brown scored on an interception return and a fumble return.

_ Jimmy Burch