Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby wants an expansion decision by end of summer

During conference meetings this week, the Big 12 Conference is unlikely to come to any concrete decisions about expansion, as commissioner Bob Bowlsby said that he wants to make that decision by the end of the summer, but noted that the conference did not discuss specific targets on Wednesday.

"We're not at that point," he said.

In fact, he wants the decision makers at every university -- typically the president or the chancellor -- to make those decisions about expansion after consulting with athletic directors and other entities at each school, though he pointedly said he didn't care too much if those decisions were made in a much more unilateral manner.

#Big12 Commissioner Bowlsby on next steps for each campus following this week's spring meetings. https://t.co/xqiAHeC3JU

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) June 1, 2016

Somewhat surprisingly, Bowlsby said the Wednesday meeting only featured about 90 minutes of discussions about expansion and a possible championship game, two of the most pressing issues facing a conference widely seen as dysfunction and once again ready to break apart at the seams.

Since Mike Perrin took over as athletic director following Steve Patterson's termination, Texas has been quite quiet on the subject of expansion, a relatively unusual stance from the league's biggest power broker. However, Perrin spoke with the media on Wednesday and confirmed reports that the 'Horns do not favor expansion.

"I think the prudent thing for us to do as a conference is stay where we are," Perrin said.

However, Perrin did make a surprising admission when he said that a championship game "could be an intriguing game." And he also said that the dialogue on expansion could last long past this summer.

Bowlsby did weigh in on the question of whether Baylor should grant releases to 2016 signees who want out of their National Letters of Intent, saying it's a "fair question" and said that the situation is unusual enough to warrant the releases. According to ESPN, seven players have asked for those releases, including possible Texas targets like offensive linemen JP Urquidez and Patrick Hudson and cornerback Parrish Cobb.

Also on the docket was a discussion about a possible rule change that would keep walk ons from losing a year of eligibility when transferring within the conference, which specifically pertains to Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, the former Texas Tech walk on. The vote didn't pass with a 5-5 split by faculty reps, meaning that Mayfield will have a chance to become a graduate transfer after this season.

Bowlsby said the opposition to the rule change was from schools that wanted to avoid the possibility of other schools recruiting walk-on players by offering them scholarships.

However, Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said that the issue is not finished.

"We will continue to fight for what he think is right," he said.