Norlander/Dodd:
The Huskies could be in the Big 12 for basketball by 2026 and for football by 2031
www.cbssports.com
-> Does Yormark have the votes?
It's not clear, but at this stage, indications are that he does not. That's what Monday's presentation was about. Any such expansion requires a "super majority" of Big 12 presidents voting in favor of expansion. That is, at least 12 of the 16 schools must approve.
Discussions are ongoing, but it's worth mentioning that Baylor president Linda Livingstone is the current Big 12 chair of the conference board of directors and the chair of the NCAA Board of Directors. What she thinks matters. CBS Sports reported Monday the current count is 6-2 in favor of the move. That two against might be a conservative estimate. Sources have indicated a handful of schools are either outright "no" votes or highly skeptical of the proposition at this stage.
A reminder, it only takes five votes to nix the move. Additionally, Yormark is trying to steer this issue amid a new group of presidents who don't fully align on this topic. Expansion is always a hot-button issue. Yormark is trying to work his pitch while avoiding disagreement as the Big 12 debuts with 16 teams in the latest era of profound transformation in college athletics.
If Yormark doesn't have the votes, there probably won't be a vote. That's what the next few weeks about -- presidents sharing information with their ADs and administrators to come up with an institutional opinion. Ideally, any commissioner would want a unanimous vote to assure alignment in the conference. Even though the presidents have the vote on this issue, it would be advantageous for Yormark to have total alignment. That means president
and athletic director across the Big 12 board agree to bring in UConn. <-
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