Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard confirms Big 12 expansion reports

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard on Monday evening appeared on the Iowa State Coaches Corner Radio Show, where he confirmed reports that the Big 12 is moving quickly towards conference expansion.

“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,” Pollard said.

Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel on Monday reported that Big 12 presidents will vote later this week, likely Friday, on whether to approve applications of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF for conference expansion. One conference official even told Thamel that the Big 12 is heading toward adding four teams “in the next short period of time.”

“I’ll just say that it’s exciting for Iowa State because there was a lot of uncertainty and there’s clearly going to be some uncertainty in how we put this puzzle all together,” he said, “but the players that will be in the gameplan to put the puzzle together have come together a lot quicker than I could have ever imagined, so I give a ton of credit to [Big 12] Commissioner [Bob] Bowlsby.”

The news of an alleged vote by Big 12 presidents came just days after reports from Max Olson and Chuck Carlton said that expansion is being weighed heavily — four schools, specifically, were in consideration: BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston. Those four remain the only schools cited in reports of Big 12 expansion.

“You know, there’s not much I can really say,” Pollard said at first, when asked if he could comment on Big 12 expansion. “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.”

Texas and Oklahoma, two of the Big 12 Conference’s big-market schools, accepted invitations to join the SEC on July 30. The conference has been weighing options on how to proceed since the news became public, and it appears Commissioner Bowlsby is very close to extending four invitations in order to fill Texas and Oklahoma’s void.

“It bothered me tremendously,” Pollard said in response to Texas and Oklahoma’s sudden departure. “One, just that that happened, but it happened in a time period that Iowa State was just really — there’s a lot of really good things happening here right now, and it felt like somebody rained on our parade.

“But I will say this: what really excites me is I think that you could make a really strong argument that in football, from top to bottom, we could be more competitive,” Pollard continued, “and one team, [which] will stay unnamed, currently a member of the Big 12, who has only won two football championships in their whole time in the Big 12. … [Do] not [have] the record that they seem to think they do.”

Pollard added that the move is exciting for Iowa State, a school whose football program is on the rise — currently ranked No. 7 and is coming off a 16-10 win over Northern Iowa — and will also benefit the Big 12 in basketball.

Additionally, he said the thought of expansion is mutually beneficial; schools like Iowa State get to remain in what he labels a competitive Power Five conference, and they get to do so in advance of the Big 12’s television deal expiring, which happens after the 2025 season. By making the move in advance of the deal’s expiration date, the Big 12 is able to reenter the market with more value to networks. On the other hand, the incoming schools — which, while Pollard does not mention by name, appear to be BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston — also reap the benefits of being in a larger conference.

“I’m excited for them to come to this side,” Pollard said. “Because I think that their programs are going to be bolstered, too.”

Pollard did not mention other specific conferences by name either, but he appeared to throw some shade at the Pac-12, suggesting that the Big 12 has a more sustainable product with better football.

“I know this: the Big 12 institutions fill their stadiums, have robust environments and it’s exciting,” he said. “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 market.”