UPDATE: Del Conte later clarified his comments, backing away from his earlier statement that Florida State, Clemson and Miami have specific interest in joining the Big 12.
TCU's Chris Del Conte clarifies comments: I was referring to rumor mill, not confirming schools interest in #Big12.—
Stefan Stevenson (@FollowtheFrogs) May 23, 2012
TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte said this morning that Florida State, Clemson and Miami have interest in moving to the Big 12 conference, according to a tweet from RedRaiderSports.com‘s Chris Level.
TCU AD spoke at a breakfast here in Lbk this morning, said the once dead Big 12 now has schools like FSU, Clemson and Miami trying to get in
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Chris Level (@ChrisLevel) May 23, 2012Del Conte was speaking at a breakfast on the Texas Tech campus when he made his remarks. Florida State has been rumored to be interested in leaving the ACC for the Big 12. The chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees said the school should look at what the Big 12 has to offer. His comments reportedly came because of disappointment over the ACC’s new television rights agreement.
Former Seminoles star Derrick Brooks, a former member of the university’s Board of Trustees, said that the Big 12 had reached out to the school.
Some writers have speculated that, if the Big 12 extended an offer to Florida State, it also would try to add another school to keep an even number of teams in the conference. The league will have 10 teams next season. After the departures of Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri and Texas A&M in recent years, the conference added TCU and West Virginia to help fill the void.
Del Conte’s comments might be the strongest indication yet that other ACC members will jockey to join the Seminoles in the Big 12, should they leave.
