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In case you missed it... BYU did not get invited to join the Big 12 Monday. None of the hopeful schools did. After months of ups and downs and being given the runaround, David Boren and Bob Bowlsby announced in a press conference that the Big 12 would not be expanding at all.
They also announced that the aforementioned decision was unanimous, and that no votes actually took place. Good “exploring”, guys, you’re basically Lewis and Clark.
Anyway, the cat was let out of the bag hours before the press conference actually started, but BYU had the class and decency (no, YOU’RE biased) to wait until after the press conference to release its statement on all the hoopla. It reads as follows:
BYU Statement on Big 12 decision not to expand... pic.twitter.com/CSXC10SNym
— Tom Holmoe (@TomHolmoe) October 17, 2016
The highlight of the statement? Probably the penultimate sentence. “Our national fan base and broadcast ratings, along with the many historical and recent successes of our teams, attest we certainly belong [in a P5 conference].” Boom. How about that confidence?
We’ll see what happens in 2025 (when the Big 12 media contract expires), but until then, prospects are seemingly few and far between.
Stick with Vanquish the Foe for continued coverage on the snub, and fan reaction (the Twitter meltdown was pretty good).