We should finally have a final decision on Big 12 expansion -- one way or the other -- today. The Big 12's 10 presidents are set to meet today in Dallas, with a press conference coming at 5:30 p.m. local time.
It's anyone's guess what actually happens. Many think the conference won't expand. Some think they'll add BYU and Houston as football-only members. Anytime this conference bangs its collective heads together there's no telling what will come out.
But one prominent voice has stepped forward to state his position on the matter.
Fox Sports president Eric Shanks told Sports Business Journalhe doesn't think the conference should expand.
"We don’t think expansion in the Big 12 is a good idea for the conference," he said. "We think it will be dilutive to the product in the short term. In the long term, it’s probably harmful to the future of the conference. Who knows where expansion is going to go. Reading the smoke signals, [expansion talk has] cooled off. I don’t know why. We’re still in discussions with them. We still have a long way to go in the deal. We’ll work through it the best way that we can."
Fox Sports owns half the Big 12's television rights but, ultimately, the Big 12's contracts give the league the power to do what it wants.
Of course, Fox and ESPN have the power to not re-up with the Big 12 when the current agreements expire in the middle of the next decade.