All of the talk about possible Big 12 Conference expansion has been “Much Ado About Nothing”! Every school with the possible exception of Dundee, Kansas, has been mentioned as a possibility. It reminds me of the rumors that whirl around a high school in the wintertime as to who the “Big Man On Campus” is taking to the prom. The final result has been, “He ain’t taking no one, he’s staying home!”
There was a time, a few years ago, when Nebraska exited the Big 12 due to the heavy-handedness of Texas. The Longhorns only wish they still had that kind of influence. Now it is Oklahoma who seems to have the biggest tail that wags the dog! David Boren, President of Oklahoma University is the face, the mouth, of Big 12 expansion. All other lips are sealed. Boren spouts one thought after another, none of which lead to any conclusions. He loves to play word chess, keeping not only the media guessing but the other members of the Big 12 as well.
Much of the past three years has been about-publicly at least-the possibility of Brigham Young University joining the conference. “Do they fit?” “Are they good enough academically?” “What about playing on Sundays?” “What about all of those religious people?” That they would whomp the tar out of most of the football-playing schools in the Big 12 is not mentioned real often!
If I were BYU, I would feel like the beautiful young woman who was being courted by the spoiled young man who was in love with her but not sure if he wanted to introduce her to his family because she just might not be “good enough”, not from a “family with the best breeding”. Yuk! In other words, if I were BYU, I would tell the Big 12 to “move on, I have better offers!”
Look for BYU to end up in the Pac 12. It is a natural fit. They are a regular staple in Las Vegas and have games scheduled against Arizona and other Pac 12 teams in the future in Vegas. The Pac 12 LOVES Las Vegas and now that the Oakland Raiders plan on moving there and building a new fancy stadium, you can bet there will be an even bigger Pac 12 presence there and BYU is a natural fit.
So, to the Big 12, “Thanks for the attention Big Boy, but I’ve had an offer for a better date! Don’t save the last dance for me!”

CHALK TALK
The U.S. Olympic Committee has announced that they spent $10 million last year by giving it to the International Olympic Committee for “Cost Sharing.” Read between the lines with me here. What they are REALLY saying is that they were paying a bribe to the IOC in an attempt, a hope, that the U.S. might get a future Olymics, something they have been humiliated and defeated at in the bidding in 2012 and 2016. Bribes are commonplace with the IOC, a form of train robberies from the past!
The Nebraska Cornhuskers are the current record holders of the longest consecutive streak of bowl games. They’ve not missed one since 1981, and are still counting!
The NCAA plays games in Cuba and China but they refuse to play games in North Carolina because of perceived “human rights violations”. Let that soak in for just a moment!
THUD! went the state tournament hopes of the Larned baseball team Tuesday evening as they came up a cropper in a 9-0 loss to underdog Russell at the Hoisington Regional. As predicted, it’s all about pitching.
Donald Trump gets blamed for a lot of things, probably even the weather BUT he can’t be blamed for Liberty University’s future football schedule. The private school is moving up from FCS to play with the boys in the FBS and have scheduled future opponents Virginia, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss , Wake Forest and Auburn! Wow! Really? Auburn? As my gramma used to say, “that’s walkin’ in tall cotton!”