Former Stanford Cardinal AD Bob Bowlsby takes over for Chuck Neinas as new Big 12 commissioner and was introduced to the public on Friday. Bowlsby will officlally start his new job June 15th and will be the league's fourth commissioner overall and third since 2007, not counting Neinas.
There was some interesting quotes from Bowlsby in his introductory presser, including his inability to be a "puppet" in the past.
On Big 12 expansion in the future:
"Expansion will be an ongoing consideration for us. I haven't had the opportunity to talk with all of the presidents about this issue, and I haven't had the opportunity to talk to all but a couple of the athletic directors. I certainly am not going to presume a direction that we will go. I think, though, as you consider expansion, it has to be expansion that has, as its roots, the enhancement of the league."
On whether the University of Texas essentially runs the Big 12:
"I guess I would just suggest that you do a little homework on me. I haven't been very good at being a puppet over the years."
On how West Virginia can fit in the conference while being outside of its geographic footprint:
"We do need to think about how to [make the Mountaineers feel at home]. It isn't a situation where they're going to have a natural rival in the state next door. Their Backyard Brawl with Pittsburgh is natural geographically, but it isn't evident that there's the same geographic vicinity with the Big 12 teams. Having said that, I think it's all about high-quality competition. Football and basketball teams are playing all over the country, so it isn't a particular logistical challenge there. But for some of the non-revenue Olympic sports, it's going to be a challenge. We're going to have to think innovatively about how we don't disadvantage a team that's from some distance away."
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