INQUISITR.COM / Sports

Big 12 Expansion Rumors: Memphis, Temple Remain Silent — Are Both Schools Still Contenders?

By Ernie Howell
Published on: 15:25 PST, Sep 5, 2016

Big 12 expansion rumors have focused on the list of remaining candidates being narrowed to 11 schools with both Memphis and Temple on the outside looking in. But could both schools still remain in contention for one of coveted Big 12 expansion slots expected to be offered later this year?

Those are some of the conclusions being drawn through the rumors and whispers being spread about Big 12 expansion over the Labor Day weekend.

Multiple media outlets — including the Inquisitr — have reported that the list of contenders for Big 12 expansion was cut from the nearly 20 interested schools to a more manageable 11 institutions that will make a second presentation in Dallas this week. Those media reports have suggested that Memphis and Temple were not among the schools selected for a second presentation.

Most of the schools that did not make the first cut — East Carolina, New Mexico, UNLV, Boise State and San Diego State — made public statements that their candidacy was over for Big 12 expansion, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The exceptions, however, remain Memphis and Temple.

Since rumors surfaced that the Big 12 expansion candidates had been whittled to 11 schools, Memphis has only released a statement from university president M. David Rudd about the issue. In it, the school’s top official explained neither he nor other Memphis officials would be commenting on the Big 12 expansion process due to the nondisclosure agreement the school had signed with the conference.

Officially, Temple has not commented on the situation publicly. Unofficially, however, The Philadelphia Inquirer was able to obtain an anonymous comment that Temple had not heard from the Big 12 about its expansion process. The source also said that Temple has been contacted by a Big 12 official either way regarding expansion to that person’s knowledge, leading to speculation that Temple has not been formally eliminated by the league.

Another promising report came just before the weekend as Temple officials anonymously confirmed the school had been in frequent contact, according to another The Philadelphia Inquirer report. The source explained the Big 12 and Temple had several discussions regarding expansion.

“The two sides have had many conversations, especially recently… Right now the talks with Temple and other schools are more the information stage. The Big 12 is being thorough in its research… I don’t know if Temple has been told it made the cut, but the fact that there is constant dialogue has to be seen as a positive sign.”

ESPN was one of the first media outlets to report that 11 schools remained in contention for the Big 12 expansion discussion. Those schools are reportedly Air Force, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, UConn, Colorado State, Houston, Rice, South Florida, SMU and Tulane.

While both Temple and Memphis seemed to be underdogs in the Big 12 expansion discussions, the two American Athletic Conference schools offered unique opportunities that none of the remaining contenders can. Temple delivers the most television homes as the school lies in the 2.9 million Philadelphia market.

Although Memphis was not among the largest schools or markets considered by the Big 12, the Tigers were considered attractive expansion candidates. Its location — in southwest Tennessee — provided a reasonable driving distance for many Big 12 schools, and the conference already sends one of its teams to the Liberty Bowl — where Memphis plays its home games — each postseason.

Memphis promised to deliver even more than an improving football team with their inclusion into the Big 12 through expansion. The Memphis Tigers have the backing of delivery giant FedEx, whose headquarters are in Memphis. FedEx chairman Fred Smith wrote in a letter in February that he and his company would pledge their support for a Memphis bid as well as potentially become “a major Big 12 sponsor of football and basketball,” ESPN reported.

Ultimately, that backing may have been part of the downfall for Memphis if rumors the school is not one of the 11 remaining institutions being considered as a Big 12 expansion candidate. President Rudd also expressed his school’s willingness to accept a significantly smaller revenue portion until television contracts could be renegotiated nearly a decade in the future, presumably with the financial backing from FedEx. That ability to “buy” its way into the league created another issue that could have hurt the Memphis candidacy, according to unnamed sources in the ESPN article.

“Sources told ESPN that offering to accept less revenue might have actually hurt Memphis’ chances. The league, sources said, is more interested in teams that can strengthen and add value to the league as opposed to schools that need to be ‘propped up’ by the league.”

Do you think the rumors about Memphis and Temple remaining candidates for the Big 12 expansion process are true? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

[Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images]

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