Remember when Boston College Eagles athletic director Gene DeFilippo apologized for claiming ESPN had told the ACC which teams to add in conference realignment? The Salt Lake Tribune's Jay Drew reports the Big 12 turned down the BYU Cougars for pretty much the same reason:
Big 12 Expansion: BYU Nixed By Conference TV Partners, According To Report
Why did the league do a sudden about-face, when for more than a month it was reportedly targeting BYU?
Blame it on television. Specifically, the Big 12’s current TV partners - ABC/ESPN and Fox Sports Media Group.
Reportedly at issue: BYU’s stance against playing sports on Sundays. The Cougars also wanted national air time guarantees and the ability to air some football games on BYUtv, according to the report.
These hangups are all kind of beside the bigger point, which is that here’s a second conference reportedly realigning with ESPN and other TV partners looking over its shoulder.
Stay tuned here for more conference realignment news.
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