Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby yesterday said that his next contract extension "likely will go through" the '24-25 school year, which coincides with the end of the conference's current TV contracts, according to Randy Peterson of the DES MOINES REGISTER. The new media negotiations "likely will start" in '23 or before. Bowlsby said, "My health is good. I feel like I’m a pretty young 65. I’ll stay at it for a while. I like what I’m doing. I like the schools. The board has been very good to me." The board feels good that the conference has an "experienced commissioner and not a newbie or even an interim doing the backroom wheeling and dealing." Bowlsby: "They want continuity. I think they believe I’m the right person to go through the process -- the process of looking for the right opportunities, and then capitalizing on it, from a financial standpoint." He added, "If I stay in good health and they continue to want me, I’ll be proud to be the commissioner for as long as I can do it." Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione said, "We love what Bob Bowlsby has done for our league in the five years he’s been leading us. We couldn’t be more proud to have him as our leader going forward. He’s one of the pre-eminent leaders in all of the NCAA" (DES MOINES REGISTER, 7/18).
JUST WIN, BABY: ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman noted Bowlsby "fired back in response to his league's sagging perception." Bowlsby: "I am not at all concerned about our future. I think we compete at a very high level, and we'll win our share of national championships." The Big 12 has missed the four-team CFP in two of its first three seasons, but Bowlsby said, "Top to bottom, we're the best in the country in terms of balance" (ESPN.com, 7/17). In Houston, Nick Moyle notes Bowlsby "pushed back against the league’s sinking reputation" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/18). In Dallas, Chuck Carlton writes Bowlsby "did his best to deflect the league's 1 for 3 showing" so far in the CFP. Oklahoma in '15 is the only team from the conference to reach the CFP (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/18). Bowlsby said, "Our board is as unified as it’s been in five years. They’re singing off the same sheet music. They’ve been through baptism by fire." The REGISTER's Peterson writes Big 12 naysayers must "find something else to criticize about a league that’s in better shape than a lot of people like to admit" (DES MOINES REGISTER, 7/18). In Pennsylvania, David Jones asked, "Why can’t you guys win a game in the College Football Playoff? Or even get in it most of the time?" The "small answers are many and complicated." However, there is "one large one that encompasses them all: People." The Big 12 region is "aging and losing population share relative to the rest of the nation." The Big 12 is "shrinking because the land of wide horizons is not adding residents at the same rate as the rest of the country" (PENNLIVE.com, 7/17). In Waco, Brice Cherry writes, "Talk is cheaper than a room full of sportswriters." Cherry: "What the Big 12 really must do is shut up and win some big games" (WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD, 7/18).
OTHER ISSUES: In Wichita, Kellis Robinett writes Bowlsby's "biggest long-term challenge will be ensuring the conference stays together after its grant of rights, an agreement to share top-tier TV earnings," expires in '25. Meanwhile, Bowlsby said that halftime will be "strictly limited to 20 minutes in an attempt to shorten games." In the past, halftime periods have been "kept to a loose 20 minutes." Some schools "wait to start the countdown clock or allow extra time for marching bands to perform." Bowlsby said that home teams could be "penalized for exceeding halftime limits" (WICHITA EAGLE, 7/18).
