Deseret News: Critical vision of Oklahoma’s Boren has put BYU in crosshairs of Big 12 expansion plans
By popsicle Harmon, Deseret News
Oklahoma President David Boren started the ball rolling on Big 12 expansion, and if this summer move saves that league from implosion, credit the Chief Sooner for standing up.
A year ago, Boren spoke publicly, a president in a league where colleagues could not find a voice or a plan. Boren said the Big 12 was “psychologically disadvantaged†to take on a major role in the college playoff system unless it answered the questions about a league title game and adding other teams.
Boren’s simple phrase led to wholesale speculation, debate and intense examination of the issue.
That led to the Big 12 presidents forming an expansion committee with Boren as chairman. That led to a decision to hire a firm to farm data. That led to a late June meeting where presidents declared they’d let the spreadsheets do the talking. And when the numbers hit the whiteboards and binders, the answer was clear: Expand.