As Big 12 evaporates, ISU trying to position itself

AMES – The Big 12 Conference is shrinking by the day and Iowa State remains on the outside looking in, hoping for the best while preparing for the worst.

On Friday it was Nebraska leaving for greener pastures. A day earlier Colorado bailed.

Texas appears to be the next school readying to bolt, with several others likely to follow, perhaps as early as next week.

These are scary times for Iowa State and President Gregory Geoffroy, who spoke with reporters for about 10 minutes Friday afternoon on campus, hours after the league was with Nebraska's announcement it was moving to the Big Ten after the 2010-11 athletic year.

“We don't like this,” Geoffroy said. “It creates a lot of instability and uncertainty about the future. We were very comfortable in the Big 12 Conference…. and would like to see the conference continue. That is where we are putting a lot of energy right now. Unfortunately that decision is not completely in our control.”

What Geoffroy and Athletic Director Jamie Pollard can control is the school's response, something the men say they will continue doing throughout the weekend.

ISU is among a group of five schools – Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State and Baylor are the others – that are communicating most frequently and would be committed to staying together if the Big 12 exists or not, Geoffroy said.

That group is “particularly vulnerable” as reports continue surfacing of South Division schools Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech looking elsewhere for a conference partner.

Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State have been together for years as members of the Big Eight, Big Seven and Big Six going back decades.

The schools would prefer to stay together, wherever that is.

“We are exploring a number of options,” Geoffroy said.

“(Joining another conference together) is an option, but there are a lot of other options. It's too early to really get an indication of what is a realistic direction. It's important for the five of us to be in very, very close contact as we consider the various options and directions that might unfold.”

Geoffroy declined to say if ISU had been contacted or received invitations from other conferences.

He and Pollard jointly released a letter to Cyclone fans, students and alumni Friday afternoon. Pollard was in his office much of Friday, and again declined interview requests made by The Gazette.

Texas' Board of Regents will meet Tuesday.

The Longhorns hold the key to the14-year-old league's fate and are in a “dominant position”, Geoffroy said.

“If Texas decided they wanted to stay a member of the Big 12, I'm confident the Big 12 would stay together,” he said. “If not… the conference will be greatly altered.”

Nebraska's regents unanimously accepted the Big Ten's invitation to become the 12

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member of that conference, with hopes of beginning play a year from now.

Colorado will begin play in the Pac-10 starting in 2012.

“It's really a shame to have them leave,” Geoffroy said. “Committed is a word that I'm not sure what it means these days. We thought some of the other members were committed to the Big 12 Conference.”

League Commissioner Dan Beebe held a conference call with reporters Friday afternoon, and spoke of his continued hopes for the Big 12 to stay together.

“I believe there still remains a strong desire to keep this together, and I'm not just trying to be a salesman here,” Beebe said. “We are in a better place (financially) with these 10. We have great value with these 10.”

For all that's going on, Iowa State remains in a position of reaction.

“We are thinking of various possible outcomes, evaluating what that means and what we should be doing in response.”

“We are doing everything we can to try and influence the direction, but there's only so much we can do. We have to focus on what we can do… and work hard to position Iowa State for the best future we can.”