DALLAS — In the span of one afternoon, the Big 12 all but decided to change the very nature of its conference and shake up the entire college sports universe for the foreseeable future.
The conference of One True Champion is about to undergo One True Expansion.
Following a meeting of Big 12 presidents here on Tuesday, Oklahoma President David Boren announced that Commissioner Bob Bowlsby has been authorized to engage schools interested in joining the Big 12 and said the league could grow by as many as four teams.
While it technically means the Big 12 could still backtrack and stay at 10 members, it is now clear the presidents have every intention of getting bigger — and perhaps as soon as the 2017 football season.