to back up that statement.---AP freelance writer Chip Cirillo in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report---More AP colle | Forum
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Dec 17 '17
HOUSTON -- The Big 12 has narrowed the field of candidates for possible expansion to 11 schools, with Memphis and Temple among the latest to be cut from consideration, a person with direct knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press. Cheap Saints Jerseys .The person spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because the Big 12 will not be making public any of its dealings with schools interested in joining the 10-team conference.Big 12 officials are planning to start holding meetings in the Dallas area next week with BYU, Air Force, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Colorado State, Houston, Rice, SMU, South Florida and Tulane. The next meeting of Big 12 presidents and chancellors is in mid-October.ESPN was first to report the field had been cut, with Memphis and Temple out of consideration.Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby declined comment in a text message to AP.Memphis released a statement from university president M. David Rudd stating he would not comment on the Big 12 process and referred to a portion of the nondisclosure agreement the school had with the conference. Temple officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.BYU is a football independent with most of its other sports competing in the West Coast Conference. Air Force and Colorado State are currently in the Mountain West. Rice, located in Houston, competes in Conference USA. The rest of the schools are in the American Athletic Conference.The Big 12 has not committed to expanding, but Bowlsby and Oklahoma President David Boren said in July that it would consider adding two or four schools. Adding members for football only is also a possibility.Earlier in this week officials from East Carolina, New Mexico, UNLV, Boise State and San Diego State all publicly stated that their schools were no longer being considered as candidates for the Big 12.The one surprise among the early cuts is Memphis. The school located in southwest Tennessee is within driving distance of many Big 12 schools and the conference has an agreement with the Liberty Bowl to send a team to the postseason game each season. Memphis alum and FedEx president Fred Smith had pledged his companys sponsorship for Big 12 events if the school was invited to join the conference.Academics seem to have been an issue for Memphis. All the schools remaining under consideration by the Big 12 are among the top 200 universities and colleges in the United States ranked by U.S. News and World Report. Memphis is not ranked. Black Friday Saints Jerseys . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Saints Jerseys Online . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. http://www.cheapsaintsjerseys.net/ ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. The upcoming bowl games provide the Southeastern Conference a chance at redemption.A league that prides itself as the nations strongest has only one team -- No. 1 Alabama -- ranked higher than 17th in the Top 25 . The SEC went just 6-8 in nonconference games against other Power Five teams during the regular season, including a 3-6 mark against the Atlantic Coast Conference.With 12 of its 14 members playing in bowl games, this is a chance for the SEC to restore its reputation.We are the SEC, and obviously we have a higher benchmark than other conferences out there, Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said. People expect certain things out of the SEC.Although the bowl season starts Dec. 17, SEC teams wont get involved until Dec. 26, when Mississippi State faces Miami (Ohio) in the St. Petersburg Bowl and Vanderbilt meets North Carolina State in the Independence Bowl .The SEC would love to see this years bowls turn out as well for the league as last years postseason.One year ago, the SEC encountered similar criticism after only one of its members -- Alabama, again -- was ranked in the top 15 at the end of the regular season. Before 2015, the last time the SEC had only one top-15 team was in the final poll of the 2000 season.The SEC bounced back last year by going 9-2 in bowl games, including Alabamas victory over Clemson in the College Football Playoff championship game. The SEC set an NCAA record for bowl victories in a season.I think bowl games are a big indicator of conference strength, Tennessee defensive end LaTroy Lewis said. Last year everybody scrutinized the SEC, and we had great success in the bowl games.The SEC isnt the only conferences have much at stake this postseason.The Big 12 has an opportunity to prove its worth in lesser bowl games after getting left out of the playoff for the second time in three years. The Big Ten wants to solidify a banner year as it enters the postseason with four teams ranked eighth or higher. The ACC heads into bowl season with its highest nonconference winning percentage (.750) since 1990.But theres particular pressure on the SEC due to its status as the nations premier conference for the last decade. SEC teams have won eight of the last 10 natiional championships. Authentic Saints Jerseys. I would remind and caution everyone that youre judging us against the standard which we set, and we set that standard over 10 years -- actually probably 12 years -- in a continuing manner, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said last week when he was asked about the leagues relative struggles this season. Weve got one year that well talk about and well analyze, but our expectations for excellence dont change at all.Even in whats considered a disappointing season, the SEC still has gone 42-12 in nonconference games and owns the highest nonconference winning percentage (.778) of any league. The SEC hadnt lost as many as 12 nonconference games in a season since going 31-15 in nonconference play in 2003, and it hasnt finished a season with nonconference winning percentage below .800 since 2008.Another stellar bowl performance could quiet the SECs critics, but the league faces a tougher road in this years postseason.SEC teams were favored in nine of their 11 bowl games last year, including the playoff championship game. The favorite won each of the 11 postseason games involving SEC teams.The SEC is dealing with tougher matchups this time. SEC teams are favored in six of their 12 bowl games and are underdogs in five other bowls. The Georgia-TCU Liberty Bowl is rated as a toss-up.SEC coaches have defended the conference by citing the depth that has allowed the league to have 12 bowl representatives, though that includes two 6-6 teams (South Carolina and Vanderbilt) and one 5-7 squad (Mississippi State). Tennessee coach Butch Jones noted the week-to-week grind of playing in this league and said if youre not at your best, youre going to get beat.Its still the most competitive, toughest football conference in the country, Jones said.The bowl season offers the SEC one last chance to back up that statement.---AP freelance writer Chip Cirillo in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25---Follow Steve Megargee at www.twitter.com/stevemegargee ;Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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