Ohio governor and former Presidential candidate John Kasich has cast his support for Cincinnati's inclusion, according to Jason Williams of Cincinnati.com. Kasich made the case for Cincinnati in a letter dated July 12 that was sent to Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and the presidents of the 10 Big 12 universities. "I am convinced that the University of Cincinnati will be a strong, competitive addition to the Big 12 Conference and I fully support such a move." You can read the full letter here.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich backing Cincinnati for Big 12 bid
Why not?
The Cincinnati Enquirer-USA TODAY Sports
Since the Big 12 decided they were finally going to expand, parties across the country have made their case for getting into the conference. Schools like Colorado State and East Carolina have had no issue with making the case themselves. Heck, so many schools have done something to try to look good for the Big 12, we made a tracker to keep everything organized. Cincinnati has done their fair share of lobbying thus far, too, and it seems they have Oklahoma’s support for Big 12 inclusion.
But since this is college football and the Big 12, politicians have inevitably entered the fray. First, Texas governor Greg Abbott said Houston needed to be included in the new Big 12, and now Kasich. If you’re wondering, Kasich doesn’t have any connection to the University of Cincinnati other than it being in the state in which he’s the governor. He grew up in Western Pennsylvania and went to school at Ohio State, so this isn’t an instance of a politician pulling out the stops for their alma mater, like Ann Richards and Baylor when the Big 12 was first formed in the early 1990s.
Now, will Kasich’s support for Cincinnati make a difference? Unless we get a “Welcome to the Big 12, Cincinnati” press conference where Bob Bowlsby says so, it’s difficult to see this being too big a deal.
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