Iowa State AD On Big 12 Expansion: ‘Things Have Moved Really Quickly’

SALT LAKE CITY – The pieces are coming together on the Big 12 expansion front. Numerous reports have stated that BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF will apply for membership into the Big 12.

Once the applications are in the Big 12 presidents will then have a vote on the membership.

Sources: Big 12 presidents held a meeting on Monday. No votes took place, as it was more an informational meeting to go over the impending applications of UCF, Cincinnati, BYU and Houston to join the league. 1/3

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 6, 2021

On Monday, Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel reported that the Big 12 presidents had an informal meeting “to go over the impending applications” of the four reported schools. The vote from the presidents is still believed to happen on Friday.

Then on Monday evening, Iowa State held their weekly “Behind The Mic” program and athletic director Jamie Pollard was on. He was asked about what he can share regarding Big 12 expansion.

At no point in the interview does Pollard deny the numerous reports regarding Big 12 expansion, including the one from Thamel.

No denial to Big 12 expansion reports from Iowa State AD

”You know, there’s not much I can really say,” Pollard said. “As I told our coaches Friday night, we were asked to give our word that we wouldn’t talk about what was going on. And I gave my word. So my word is my word, and I can still say I kept my word.

Pollard added, ”But it’s safe to say what’s been reported by certain members of the media, Pete Thamel, has got it pretty well wired because he must be talking to somebody that didn’t keep their word. So, I’ll just say it’s exciting for Iowa State because there was just a lot of uncertainty. There’s clearly going to be some uncertainty in how we put this puzzle altogether. But the players that will be in the game playing to put the puzzle together have come together a lot quicker than I could have ever imagined. So I give a lot of credit to Commissioner Bowlsby because he worked like a coaching search, stealth behind the scenes. We’re not to the finish line yet. But things have moved really, really quickly.”

Pollard could be referring to the puzzle being brought all together when the reported four schools join the Big 12 Conference. According to Thamel, 2023 is the likely target date. However, the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy joined the Cougar Tracks Podcast here on KSL Sports and said BYU could join the Big 12 as soon as 2022 if AD Tom Holmoe can move around the schedule for next year.

Football more competitive, better basketball by adding the four reported members

Pollard didn’t mention BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, or UCF by name but indirectly praised what those programs bring to the Big 12’s football and basketball leagues.

“What really excites me is I think that you could make a really strong argument that in football, from top to bottom, will be more competitive,” Pollard said. “One team will stay unnamed; currently, a member of the Big 12 has only won two football championships in their whole time in the Big 12. So, you know, not the record they seem to think they are. Some of those programs have really storied football traditions, some of them have been really good over the last several years. And then if you flip it over in like basketball, and you go, ‘My gosh!’ Basketball probably got three times harder. I think that’s really exciting for Iowa State.”

The future of media rights in the Big 12 Conference

Pollard then had an interesting discussion on whether streaming is driving future media negotiations or not.

“Everyone likes to project that’s going to be,” said Pollard on streaming. “I think that it’s probably going to be a combination. I don’t think the world is ready to be all in streaming. I don’t think the streaming entities have figured out how to monetize it at a level that can pay all the bills yet, either.

“Even though linear is going down. Linear is still 70 million homes, you know, with a pretty good monthly rate. It’s a pretty good annuity, right? So that’s not just gonna go away overnight. At some point, there’s this intersection where streaming will be ahead of linear. The problem right now is, who can get in the game? And ESPN has pretty much monopolized the game and that’s shunned some people out of the market a little bit. Our hope is when we get to market here in ‘25-‘26, you know that’s another reason I’m glad this moved quicker than later; we will be solidified. We’re gonna be sustaining and we will be in a position to capitalize on whatever is there.”

On what defines expansion in today’s climate

Pollard then got on the conversation of what defines expansion today. He referenced what controlled expansion in 2012, and it was television sets. Now it’s more circumstantial.

“I would say today expansion is more about circumstances because you could make the argument that there are some schools in some of those leagues that are on the ‘good side of things’ right now that couldn’t hold the water of anybody. …It was just circumstances, right? And likewise, the teams that are coming to our league now, it was only circumstances that kept them on the other side of the wall, so to speak before. I’m excited for them to come to this side. Because I think their programs are going to be bolstered by this too. Seven years from now, we may look at those 12 and say, ‘wow, we passed by this league or that league,’ and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if that happens.”

After that, Pollard indirectly pointed towards the Pac-12 Conference and said this new Big 12 Conference with the reported four additions could be just as good.

“Just look at this past weekend. You don’t want to judge everything on weekends of success because it can flip on you the next weekend, right? But, you know, I know this. The Big 12 institutions fill their stadiums, have robust environments, and it’s exciting. We may not be in the greatest television markets, but it’s an exciting product that’s very sustainable. I know another league further to the west that’s having a hard time filling their stadiums –didn’t win this past weekend– and also are struggling with their television markets. And so, that’s what I love, we’ve solidified especially our western front, by doing what we’re doing.”

This week has the makings to be a historic one for Big 12 expansion and BYU athletics.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.