Plans for Big 12 expansion appear to be in jeopardy

Concept could now face opposition from Oklahoma president.

Oklahoma President David Boren appeared to be opposing Big 12 expansion, according to a report by Sports Illustrated on Tuesday morning.

However, Boren released a statement later in the afternoon to clarify his stance.

“I do not know where the speculation came from, but Oklahoma has not yet taken a position on expansion,” he said.

Any potential opposition of Boren, who serves as chairman of the Big 12’s board of directors, could be significant. He had pushed expansion publicly when few schools wanted to pursue the option and publicly suggested the Big 12 was “psychologically disadvantaged” by only having 10 members.

The Big 12 board of directors is scheduled to meet Oct. 17 to discuss expansion. Any prospective member needs eight votes to be added.

Expansion, which looked like the most likely outcome with two schools, could be in doubt if Boren and Oklahoma oppose any expansion.

The Big 12, after a process that included as many as 20 candidates, could be in a position of confirming the dysfunctional image that Boren had publicly decried.

Boren stunned many in the conference two weeks ago by suggesting expansion wasn’t a given following a board of regents meeting. The about-face immediately got the attention of presidents and athletic administrators throughout the league.

If Oklahoma does in fact oppose expansion, and likely joined in lockstep by Oklahoma State, the other eight schools would have to coalesce around two possible candidates, which seems unlikely at the moment.

Texas has been ambivalent on expansion but is publicly on record as backing Houston if the league expands. Non-Texas schools are leery of adding another school in the Lone Star State and Houston in particular.

West Virginia may not be on board with Cincinnati, elevating another regional school to “power five” status.

BYU — a school backed by Boren — is now viewed as radioactive because of its stance on LGBT and Title IX issues. But it does have the backing of the Big 12’s TV partners, especially ESPN.

Nebraska: Milt Tenopir, who coached some of college football’s most dominant offensive lines with Nebraska in the 1980s and ’90s, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 76.

Tenopir’s daughter, Kim Lester, confirmed Tenopir’s death Monday night.

Tenopir, who retired in 2003, was considered a guru of line play during his 29 years with the Cornhuskers. Twenty-seven of his players went on to sign professional contracts, with 14 selected in the top three rounds of the NFL draft.