BOB BOWLSBY

Shortly after the unveiling of the 2004 NCAA tournament bracket, selection committee chair Bob Bowlsby candidly explained why Oklahoma State had to settle for a No. “You can’t have a few more hours of discussion on a single conference tournament title game. In 2016, the selection committee awarded Kentucky a lesser seed and tougher draw than Texas A&M even though the Wildcats edged the Aggies in the SEC tournament title game. The complaints grew louder last March when conference tournament results seemed to be less significant than usual. Ultimately, if coaches think that Sunday conference tournament title games don’t matter, they should take it up with their conference commissioners.

The College Football Playoff management committee gathered for 4 1/2 hours at a hotel in the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.

New Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark has been learning the NCAA's issues in real time during a period of sweeping change and uncertainty.

The Big 12 is going into its final season as a 10-team league.

Big 12 Media Days Football Incoming Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, center, speaks with outgoing Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, left, and Baylor President Linda Livingstone looking on during a news conference opening the NCAA college football Big 12 media days in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, July 13, 2022. The former Roc Nation executive and CEO of the Brooklyn Nets officially begins work Aug. 1, but he has already been busy with Big 12 business. “What excites me most about joining the Big 12 is the transformative moment in front of all of us today,” he said. “We have an opportunity to grow and then build the Big 12 brand and business. The Big 12 is going into its 12th and final season as a 10-school league.

New Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark says the league is open for business.

Big 12 Commissioner FILE - Barclays Center Chief Executive Officer Brett Yormark is shown during a press conference at Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016. Yormark joined Jay-Z's marketing agency in 2019 as co-CEO of Roc Nation Unified, which handles licensing and branding. Before Roc Nation, Yormark spent almost 15 years with the Nets, overseeing the club's move from New Jersey and construction of the Barclays Center. “His decades of operational experience, relentless work ethic and strong industry relationships will be of enormous value to the Big 12, its schools and fans.”Yormark joins the Big 12 in a period of uncertainty, although not one as dire as when Bowlsby took over. The Big 12 enjoyed almost a decade of relative stability before the stunner from Oklahoma and Texas last summer.

The Big 12 is going with an unconventional hire for commissioner in Roc Nation executive Brett Yormark.

... It’s not like they’re coming in to a uniquely different environment with a different set of challenges.”BYU will officially join the Big 12 next summer. The Big 12, a 10-team league since 2011 and that way for another year, could have 14 schools for two years after that. We know the two schools, Oklahoma and Texas, are leaving. But at the same time, they’re league members for the next two years,” West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons said. Changes in NCAA legislation allowed the Big 12 in 2017 to resume its football championship game, pitting the top two teams in the standings after a round-robin league schedule.

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby acknowledges the there is “some weirdness” with the conference's annual spring meetings.

College sports leaders visited Capitol Hill, asking lawmakers to consider rules to govern name, image and likeness money for college athletes.

The College Football Playoff is set to stick with a four-team format through the 2025 season.

Alabama and Georgia are scheduled to play in the NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship game on Monday, Jan. 10 at Lucas Oil Stadium. 3 Georgia played for the College Football Playoff national championship. A proposal for a 12-team playoff has been on the table since June. The meetings in Indianapolis were the seventh in-person since the 12-team format was made public in June. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-pollCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Alabama and Georgia are scheduled to play in the NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship game on Monday, Jan. 10 at Lucas Oil Stadium. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS — (AP) — College Football Playoff expansion talks remain stalled and the possibility of implementing a new format by the 2024 season dimmed after three days of meetings by the administrators who manage the postseason failed to produce an agreement. While Bowlsby said it looked increasingly unlikely that expansion would come before the end of the current CFP contract that expires in 2026, it was not ruled out altogether. There was hope initially an agreement could be reached soon enough to have it implemented for the 2024 season, two years before the current CFP contract with ESPN expires. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-pollCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

College Football Playoff expansion talks remain stalled and the possibility of implementing a new format by the 2024 season dimmed after three days of meetings failed to produce an agreement.

ARLINGTON, Texas — (AP) — Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says expanding the College Football Playoff as soon as the 2024 season is “in some jeopardy” if an agreement on a new format cannot be reached soon. One of the issues that has become a stumbling block to expansion is which conferences are guaranteed automatic access for their champions. “So I’m a big believer in the automatic qualifier for the Big Ten conference and the other Power Five conferences," Warren told SiriusXM this week. Group of Five conference commissioners, most notably Mike Aresco from the American Athletic Conference, prefer automatic access not be limited to Power Five champions. Bowlsby on Saturday laid out one of the reasons the group avoided automatic access for just the Power Five.

DALLAS — (AP) — The latest meeting on expanding the College Football Playoff wrapped up without a resolution Wednesday as the people involved agreed to keep talking. A podium was set up in front of a backdrop of College Football Playoff logos, facing about a half dozen chairs for reporters in attendance. Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren, Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips and Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff did not speak with reporters. “And there are details to work out.”___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25Copyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says expanding the College Football Playoff as soon as the 2024 season is "in some jeopardy" if an agreement on a new format cannot be reached soon.

The latest meeting on expanding the College Football Playoff has wrapped up in Dallas without any announcement.

American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco says he will vigorously oppose a College Football Playoff expansion model gives automatic access only to Power Five conference champions.

The administrators in charge of the College Football Playoff plan to meet again on Dec. 1 to continue expansion talks, which need to reach a consensus by the end of the year if a new postseason format is to be implemented for the 2024 season.

The college sports leaders who run the College Football Playoff have about four months to come to an agreement on a new format if expansion is to be implemented for the 2024 season.

A plan to expand the College Football Playoff has stalled.

The Big 12 has extended membership invitations to BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to join the Power Five league. Within hours of the Big 12 vote, all four formally accepted the invitations. There had been no indication that Oklahoma and Texas, the only Big 12 teams to win football national championships, were looking to move until the reports emerged a week after Big 12 football media days in mid-July. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby had been largely quiet in recent weeks as the expansion was put in motion. BYU said all its sports will begin Big 12 schedules in the 2023-24 athletic season.

The Big 12 has extended membership invitations to BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to join the Power Five league. In fact, BYU said all its sports will begin Big 12 schedules in the 2023-24 athletic season. If they stay, the Big 12 could have up to 14 members for at least a season or two. The SEC is now set to grow to 16 teams, with its last four additions all coming from the Big 12. TCU and West Virginia are both now in their 10th Big 12 season.

The Big 12 has added four new members with BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston formally accepting invitations to join the league.

The Big 12 is moving quickly on an expansion plan that could have the conference at 12 schools after Texas and Oklahoma leave, with BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston as the “most intriguing” candidates.

American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco says his league has never “plotted” with ESPN to undermine another conference by poaching its schools.

Two people with knowledge of the meeting said Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby and George Kliavkoff from the Pac-12 were discussing the potential for strategic planning between the two conferences. The Big 12 is trying to regroup after being stunned by Texas and Oklahoma's decision to move to the Southeastern Conference. For now, the move is scheduled for 2025, but the Big 12 has to start looking at how to move forward without their flagship programs immediately. The Pac-12's current television deal is similar in value to the Big 12's and expires in 2024. A full merger of the Big 12 and Pac-12 would create a 20-team conference with schools in every major U.S. time zone.

The commissioners of the Pac-12 and Big 12 are discussing how the two conferences might benefit from working together or maybe even merging.

He also accused ESPN of working behind the scenes to gut the Big 12, even sending a cease-and-desist letter that the cable giant refuted, but backed off that stance Monday: “We have agreed to not escalate this publicly. It’s in neither party’s best interest to do so.”Of far more interest to the Texas lawmakers was the future of the Big 12 without the Sooners and Longhorns. The Big 12 distributed $345 million to its 10 members this year ($34.5 million apiece), down from the previous year because of the pandemic. Bowlsby said he supported the idea of the remaining Big 12 teams sticking together and said they are exploring their options. Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012.

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says losing Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC could slice the value of the league's next television deal by 50 percent.

The Big 12 Conference could see the value of its television deal cut in half once Texas and Oklahoma bolt for the Southeastern Conference, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Monday at a hearing of Texas lawmakers. A committee of Texas senators heard testimony from university leaders at Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech on the monetary and academic losses that conference realignment would mean for the Big 12 and its members once Texas and Oklahoma leave for the SEC in 2025.

The latest step in move that has potential to help reshape college sports came two days after Texas and Oklahoma requested to join the SEC in 2025. That’s when the schools’ media rights agreement with the Big 12 expires. Texas and Oklahoma both have board of regents meetings schedule for Friday with conference affiliation on the agenda. Then the question becomes: Can Texas and Oklahoma find a way to join their new conference sooner than 2025? It has the makings of being a messy divorce with the Big 12 that could include ESPN.

CORRECTION Big 12 Media Days Fooball CORRECTS DATELINE TO ARLINGTON, TEXAS, NOT DALLAS AS ORIGINALLY SENT - Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, center, speaks during NCAA college football Big 12 media days Wednesday, July 14, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (LM Otero)ESPN responded Thursday to the Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby’s accusations of attempting to destabilize his beleaguered conference by saying it has engaged in no wrongful conduct and “there is nothing to cease and desist." "The accusations you made are entirely without merit," ESPN executive Burke Magnus, president of programming and content, said in a letter to Bowslby that was released by the network. The Big 12 sent a cease-and-desist letter to the network a day earlier, alleging ESPN was incentivizing at least one other conference to raid the league in an effort to hasten the departure of Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference. The Longhorns and Sooners earlier this week formally asked to be join the SEC, starting in 2025 when its media rights agreement with the Big 12 expires.

Southeastern Conference university presidents voted to invite Texas and Oklahoma to join the league and create a 16-team powerhouse on the field and at the bank.

Big 12 accuses ESPN of trying to ‘destabilize’ conference Detail view of Big 12 logo as the Baylor Bears band plays on the field before Baylor plays the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 Football Championship at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 7, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. In a cease-and-desist letter to a network executive, Commissioner Bob Bowlsby accused conference media rights partner ESPN of actively encouraging the pillaging of the Big 12 for financial benefit. (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images, File)In a cease-and-desist letter to a network executive, Commissioner Bob Bowlsby accused conference media rights partner ESPN of actively encouraging the pillaging of the Big 12 Conference for financial benefit. Meanwhile, ESPN shares Big 12 broadcast rights that expire in 2025 with Fox, KOKI reported. I suspect they have done the same thing in moving Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC,” Bowlsby told CBS Sports.

“It’s going to be a long process.”

Big 12 Media Days Football Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby is shown on the giant screen as he speaks during NCAA college football Big 12 media days Wednesday, July 14, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. “I have absolute certainty they (ESPN) have been involved in manipulating other conferences to go after our members,” Bowlsby said Wednesday in a phone interview. The Big 12 has sent a cease-and-desist letter to ESPN. In the letter, the Big 12 demanded the network stop “all actions that may harm the Conference and its members and that it not communicate with the Big 12 Conference’s existing Members or any other NCAA Conference regarding the Big 12 Conference’s Members, possible conference realignment or potential financial incentives or outcomes related to possible conference realignment.“Texas and Oklahoma informed the Big 12 this week that they would not be renewing an agreement with the conference that binds them to the league and its eight other members until 2025. Bowlsby told AP that Texas and Oklahoma have been working on a move to the SEC for months, doing so while taking part in Big 12 strategy meetings where proprietary information was shared.

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby accused ESPN of encouraging other conferences to pick apart the league so Texas and Oklahoma can move to the Southeastern Conference more quickly and without paying a massive buyout.

Oklahoma and Texas took the first formal step toward moving to the Southeastern Conference.

The Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday, citing a source it did not identify, that Big 12 powers Texas and Oklahoma have reached out to the SEC about potentially joining the league. “There’s a reason why Texas A&M left the Big 12, to be standalone, to have our own identity. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, whose 10-member league would suffer a major blow with such defections, did not return messages from AP seeking comment. After another flirtation between Texas, Oklahoma and Scott, Texas A&M bolted for the SEC in 2012 and Missouri followed the Aggies. Life without Texas and Oklahoma would be uncertain — at best — for the other schools in the Big 12.

The Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday, citing a source it did not identify, that Big 12 powers Texas and Oklahoma have reached out to the SEC about potentially joining the league. Adding two members would give the powerhouse SEC 16 teams, the largest in major college football. After another flirtation between Texas, Oklahoma and Scott, Texas A&M bolted for the SEC in 2012 and Missouri followed the Aggies. Life without Texas and Oklahoma would be uncertain — at best —- for the other schools in the Big 12. “There’s a reason why Texas A&M left the Big 12, to be standalone, to have our own identity.

Texas and Oklahoma have had discussions with the Southeastern Conference about leaving the Big 12.

Big 12 Media Days Football Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby is shown on the giant screen as he speaks during NCAA college football Big 12 media days Wednesday, July 14, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (LM Otero)ARLINGTON, Texas — (AP) — The Big 12 Conference would certainly benefit from an expanded College Football Playoff and likely never be left out again. You’ve got to start somewhere,” Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said Wednesday at Big 12 Media Days. With TCU heading into its 10th Big 12 season, coach Gary Patterson feels the Horned Frogs would have had multiple playoff appearances in a 12-team format. He, like other Big 12 coaches, wants the remaining bowl structure to be preserved.

Big 12 coaches say they like the proposal to expand the College Football Playoff to 12 teams.

The 11 university presidents and chancellors who oversee the College Football Playoff have authorized the continued evaluation of a proposed 12-team playoff.

Playoff Expansion Football FILE - Alabama's Ronnie Harrison (15) breaks up a pass intended for Clemson's Artavis Scott during the second half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game in Glendale, Ariz., in this Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, file photo. Last week, the CFP unveiled a plan to expand from four to 12 teams. The other members include the commissioners of the Big Ten, Pac-12, Atlantic Coast Conference, American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Sun Belt and Mid-American Conference. Before anything becomes a done deal, the commissioners want to hear from their local constituents: athletic directors, coaches and players. __Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://APpodcasts.com___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25Copyright 2021 The Associated Press.

College Football Playoff expansion took another step forward this week.

“Do I think it would be a great matchup in college football, particularly in 2020? College football researcher and statistician Cody Kellner calculated 81 scheduled games were never played and 86% of the major college football season will be completed if no games are canceled Saturday. Teams played 52 of 55 potential regular-season games, including 43 of 45 conference games, plus a championship game. Teams played 85 of 90 potential regular-season games, including 70 of 75 conference games, plus a championship game. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

The conference commissioners who manage the College Football Playoff have decided to stick with a four-team format during the pandemic-altered season after the Pac-12 made a request to consider expansion. The request was made because of disruptions to the season caused by the pandemic. Conferences are not playing the same number of games, are starting play at different times and there are no interconference matchups between Power Five leagues. Hancock added any decision on expansion would need the approval of the CFP's presidential oversight committee after a recommendation by commissioners. The Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 are already up and running among the Power Five leagues.

The Big 12 Conference reaffirmed its decision to press on with college football and other fall sports Wednesday, joining the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences in taking the field amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move came one day after the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they would not be participating this fall. The schools will all play each other to give them 10 total games with the Big 12 title game scheduled for Dec. 12. All non-conference opponents also must adhere to Big 12 standards. The virus continues to evolve and medical professionals are learning more with each passing week, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in a statement.

College football players from across the country united Sunday in an attempt to save their season and ensure they will no longer be left out of the sport's biggest decisions. #BigTenUnited arrived on the scene a couple days later, a movement that claimed the backing off 1,000 Big Ten football players. Use our voices to establish open communication and trust between players and officials: Ultimately create a College Football Players Association. Another person with direct knowledge of the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity, said no votes were taken or decisions made about the college football season. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Meanwhile, college football players took to social media Sunday to push for the season to go on, led by Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with a series of tweets. We are ready to play and we want to play.Other players tweeted with the hashtag #WeWantToPlay. The parents of Ohio State football players weighed in, too, posting a letter saying they were confident in the university's plan to keep their sons safe. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said he has heard the same from Fighting Irish football players. They are going to want to know why.___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

The first major college football games in an evolving schedule that should start to come into focus this week are a little more than a month away. COVID-19 flare-ups have shut down voluntary workouts throughout July at about two dozen major college football programs, including Ohio State, North Carolina, Kansas State and Houston. Because if thats the case, were not testing enough.Recent NCAA guidelines recommended testing college football players once a week during the season, within 72 hours of a game. I was not surprised at all that there were positive tests. There will be positive tests on campuses when students return and within athletics programs.

Big 12 schools still got a strong payout from the conference during the pandemic. Englands Rugby Football League and the Australian Rugby League Commission made the joint announcement. Both governing bodies are committed to planning a series in 2022, after the Rugby League World Cup in England in 2021. The Big 12 had suspended all team activities, voluntary or required, because of the coronavirus pandemic through May 31. Basketball players can participate in on-campus voluntary activities, starting July 6, and all other sports can resume voluntary activities on campus on July 15.

The Big 12 got about $14 million less from the NCAA, which cancelled showcase events like the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, and the College World Series. The financial state of the Big 12 just in general is really healthy, said Baylor's Mack Rhoades, chairman of the Big 12 ADs. TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini, chairman of the Big 12 board, said his school has lost about $50 million for different reasons because of the coronavirus. Before the pandemic, the Big 12 had projections of revenue distribution reaching the mid-$40 million range per school. There is still a lack of clarity for what football season will look like, such as how many fans might be allowed to attend games.

FILE - In this March 11, 2020, file photo, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks at a press conference in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)The Power Five conference commissioners are asking Congress to move forward with federal legislation regarding compensation for college athletes. The commissioners of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference sent a letter dated May 23 to congressional leaders. Some lawmakers are skeptical of the NCAA's desire to place what it calls guardrails on a compensation model. So, time is of the essence.___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and https://appodcasts.com/category/ap-top-25-college-football/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/APTop25CollegeFootballPoll and https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

There are 130 major college football teams, spread across 41 states and competing in 10 conferences, save for a handful of independents. The Friday announcements are the latest signs that a college football season will be launched in some form this fall. The NCAA updated that ruling Friday by saying voluntary activities would be allowed in all sports starting June 1. Greg Abbott said Friday he thinks college football will return on schedule with at least some spectators. Once we get to college football season, our goal right now is to have college football season start as planned, with fans in stands, Abbott said in an interview with Austin television station KXAN.