DALLAS — The solicitations come almost daily. A video. A packet. A request to drop by conference headquarters in Las Colinas and shoot the breeze or make a case.
Like the school marm in a mining town, the Big 12 is quite popular these days. At least among a certain segment of college athletics. Not among fellow power conference schools. Not among the cool kids. But the programs trying to step up in class, the programs trying to get a seat at the grown-up table, clamor for an invitation to join a conference that consistently has stated it has no desire to expand.