There’s a standard answer that university presidents and conference commissioners give these days when asked about expansion.  “We’re happy where we are, but we’ll be ready if the landscape changes.”

So when Big XII commissioner Bob Bowlsby sat down for an interview with the Longhorn Network, what did he say when asked about his league’s expansion plans?

“We’re distributing the largest amount of money of any conference on a per-member basis.  We have activation on campus of our third-tier rights.  Nobody does it better than Texas does with the Longhorn Network but several of our other institutions are doing a great job as well. 

We feel like this is the right shape and the right size for us.  We also feel it’s a lot easier to get larger than it is to get smaller.  We are very content at 10, but we’re not oblivious to what’s going on around us and we’re going to be ever-vigilant about the changing tide of college football.”

With the possible exception of his use of the word “ever-vigilant,” Bowlsby pretty much said exactly what everyone else says about expansion.  “We don’t want to, but if somebody else moves, we’re ready.”

A few months ago we likened the current state of the conference realignment game to the final long, tense (and did we say long) showdown scene from “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.”  Our opinion hasn’t changed.

The only things left to determine?  Which league is Tuco, which is Blondie, and which is Angel Eyes?

Basketball

1.  At Alabama, is it better to win ugly or lose pretty?

2.  Back from a pair of injuries, Johnny O’Bryant is making a difference for LSU.

3.  Ole Miss gunner Marshall Henderson could hurt his team if he crosses the line from acceptable to unacceptable behavior.

4.  The combustible Henderson will face Florida’s fantastic defense tomorrow.

5.  After scoring 40 points in Lexington, Texas A&M’s Elston Turner expects Kentucky to make it tough for him to get open looks.

Football

6.  Three of Florida’s four starters on the defensive line will have to be replaced this fall.

7.  New Georgia D-line coach Chris Wilson: “I want to play anywhere from six to eight guys in a game.”

8.  Not surprisingly, a number of Arkansas players are striking back against the ex-coaches who’ve suggested members of the team quit last year.

9.  Texas A&M is ready to negotiate pay raises with Kevin Sumlin and his assistants.

10.  Backup Jameill Showers may be transferring, but the Aggies still have options at quarterback behind Johnny Manziel.

And The Rest…

11.  Checked out those SEC wedding cakes on Pinterest yet?

12.  SWATS co-owner: “I’m not just this quack peddling these stickers.”

13.  If not, they still come off as scumbags.

14.  Last year’s sensation, Anthony Davis, has been named Kentucky’s Sportsman of the Year by The Lexington Herald-Leader.

15.  Former Tennessee running back and current Houston Texan Arian Foster will “likely undergo” a heart procedure to correct structural problems that can lead to an abnormal heartbeat.

16.  This writer says Bob Bowlsby has put the Big XII back in a position of power.

The SEC-Big East Challenge in basketball will not be renewed next season both leagues have confirmed
A Texas lawmaker has introduced a bill to try and force Texas and Texas A&M to renew their football rivalry
Big XII commissioner Bob Bowlsby says his league is prepared if the Big Ten and SEC expand again in the future
Missouri and Purdue have agreed to a future football series
Texas A&M backup QB Jameill Showers is transferring
Tonight, Tennessee hosts Vanderbilt in basketball and then Ole Miss hosts Kentucky
Follow the SEC all year long on MrSEC.com

Big 12 athletic directors will meet in suburban Dallas on Monday and Tuesday.  With a report surfacing earlier in the week that officials would have a “philosophical” discussion about expansion, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby gave some insight on Friday where the league could be headed.

In an interview with the Austin American-Statesman, Bowlsby said the league has had alliance discussions with three other conferences.

“The ACC is one of them. It’s a process of discovery that would provide some of the benefits of larger membership without actually adding members.”

Bowlsby would not name the other two leagues, although the Pac-12 is believed to be one of them.  He also told that the paper that an alliance – which would cover areas like scheduling, marketing and possible television partnerships –  is not necessarily a precursor to expansion.

“If anything, it’s the opposite. You can begin to get some advantages without taking on any of the disadvantages (of expansion). It’s one option that allows benefits. It’s kind of like friends with benefits.”

Any alliance would include football and basketball and could spread to other sports. On Wednesday, Orangebloods.com reported that Bowlsby’s interested was piqued in December when a report surfaced that Florida State had reached out to the Big Ten about possible membership.

Meanwhile the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch obtained minutes of a meeting in December where Ohio State president Gordon Gee is quoted as saying he “believes there is movement towards three or four super conferences that are made up of 16-20 teams.”

Responding to a student question about where the league might go, Gee said:

“There are opportunities to move further south in the (E)ast and possibly a couple of Midwest universities.”

The Big 10 has reportedly tried to gauge the interest of several ACC schools. ESPN, picking up on the “Midwest universities” part of the quote, asks if that could be good news for Kansas.

Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive shouldn’t have any trouble keeping his humidor filled with fine smokes and his liquor cabinet stocked with Blanton’s bourbon.  According to the SEC’s federal tax return for 2011-12, Slive raked in more than $1.5 million during the league’s last fiscal year.

Slive made $940,000 in base salary and received on top of that a $550,000 bonus.  He also made $22,128 in “other reported compensation” and $36,750 in retirement funds.  Toss in $14,934 in nontaxable benefits and you reach the full figure of $1,563,812.

Not a bad gig if you can get it.

Under Slive, the SEC has become the preeminent football conference in college athletics as well as one of the richest.  His work in 2008 on the league’s dual television contracts with CBS and ESPN ushered in a new era of mega-money for the Southeastern Conference (and for all the other big football conferences who’ve cut deals since).  Slive has orchestrated the league’s first expansion in two decades.  He and Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby have changed the bowl-conference relationship forever by taking control of their own postseason affair and simply hiring the Sugar Bowl folks to run it (meaning more cash for the leagues).  On top of that, Slive’s dream of a four-team college football playoff is soon to be realized.  The NCAA rule book is being reworked in such a way that the biggest schools will benefit most, just as he’s pushed for.  And we at MrSEC.com have no doubt that his desire for student-athletes to receive full-cost-of-tuition scholarships will soon be sated as well, once again giving big conferences like the SEC an advantage over smaller leagues and smaller schools.

According to a USA Today study of each major conference’s most recent tax returns, Slive’s pay is still middle of the pack money for BCS-level commissioners.  Considering the success the league has had under its current commissioner’s watch, that represents a pretty good bargain for the SEC.

But there’s still work we believe Slive needs to do.

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SEC releases 2013 conference schedule; No permanent cross-division rivalries were killed
Tennessee will replace a road date with Mississippi State with a November home visit from Auburn.
Vanderbilt cancels 2013 games with Northwestern and Ohio State
South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore  may not start or even play versus Florida on Saturday
Big XII commissioner Bob Bowlsby says either Arlington, Texas or New Orleans will host the new Big XII/SEC “Champions” Bowl
The NCAA has cleared Kentucky basketball freshman Nerlens Noel to practice and play
Tennessee AD Dave Hart says “There are more challenges than met the eye” when he took over the Vol program last year
LSU OL Alex Hurst has left the program and may not be back because of “a family thing”
Auburn has not decided on a starting QB for Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt
Former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer on coaching again: “I don’t think you can ever say never.”
Kentucky, Florida and Missouri are all ranked in the first basketball coaches poll of the season
Get all your SEC news from MrSEC.com… seven days a week, 365 days a year

South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore missed practice yesterday and may not start or even play versus Florida on Saturday
Big XII commissioner Bob Bowlsby says either Arlington, Texas or New Orleans will host the new Big XII/SEC “Champions” Bowl
The NCAA has cleared Kentucky basketball freshman Nerlens Noel to practice and play
Steve Spurrier says he will discipline DT Kelcy Quarles for punching LSU OL P.J. Lonergan during last weekend’s game
Tennessee AD Dave Hart says “There are more challenges than met the eye” when he took over the Vol program last year
LSU OL Alex Hurst has left the program and may not be back because of “a family thing”
Auburn has not decided on a starting QB for Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt
Former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer on coaching again: “I don’t think you can ever say never.”
Kentucky, Florida and Missouri are all ranked in the first basketball coaches poll of the season
Get all your SEC news from MrSEC.com… seven days a week, 365 days a year

Big XII commissioner Bob Bowlsby said yesterday that by “sweating all the details” the college football leaders working on the sport’s new playoff will keep the regular-season relevant and distribute revenue fairly.  “I’m confident we’re going to get it right by the time it’s all done,” he said.

He also revealed what the current thinking on the selection committee’s make-up is:

“Some of them will be active people currently in the profession [and] retired people.  I’m probably a little more trusting than some others might by having gone through the basketball committee process.  The basketball process is a very honorable process.  If you have a dog in the fight, you leave the room.  You don’t try to influence the other people in the room for your own benefit.  This will be the same way.

Will it be harder to come up with four teams than it is to come up with 68 [in basketball]?  Yeah.  Would we be any less confident in terms of integrity?  No.”

Bowlsby said he expects the number of panelists on the committee to be about 18.

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Fayetteville television station KNWA-TV — Eazy-E and Ice Cube reporting — have posted a story claiming that Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long has been approached by Stanford regarding their AD spot.  Bob Bowlsby is leaving that school to take over as the Big 12′s new commissioner.

According to KNWA anchor Matt Turner on the station’s website:

“Jeff Long is one of the candidates to replace Bob Bowlsby as the new athletic director at Stanford University. That’s according to three separate sources close to the situation, and one of the people providing the information is a school official at the University of Arkansas.

The primary source, who wants to remain anonymous, says Stanford officials have “reached out” to Long about filling the vacancy but added that Long has not yet responded to the inquiries.

The source also said that Long is not a finalist for the job despite rumors circulating on internet message boards.”

It would make sense for Stanford to reach out to Long.  He has shown that he can lure in just about any big fish he sets his mind to when it comes to coaches.  He’s overseen an increase in UA’s athletic budget and spearheaded the school’s drive to build bigger and better facilities.  He’s viewed as one of the top athletic directors in the SEC — which is saying something — and the nation.

While he ultimately wound up taking a figurative punch to the ribs for hiring Bobby Petrino, the ex-coach did improve the fortunes of the Razorback football program before he wrecked his motorcycle and his career.

Speaking of Petrino and messageboards and even anonymous email tips, yes, we’ve heard the conspiracy theories regarding Petrino, his one-time mistress Jessica Dorrell and her ex-fiance Josh Morgan.  All three are now ex-Razorback employees.  The chatterers in social media have suggested everything from the fiance driving the pair off the road to taking a baseball bat to the coach’s noggin.

“Why else would he look so bad while she escaped major injury?”  Uh, because Petrino was in front and Dorrell on the back of the motorcycle.  Because she had a helmet on and he didn’t.

Sorry, not buying that one.  One cop may have helped Petrino get to the hospital, but no officer of the law — knowing he could lose his job — would cover up an assault.

That said, there is a rumor floating around among media types in the Natural State and it’s something we wondered about at the time of the Petrino fiasco — What did Long know of the relationship and when did he know it?

Some in the Arkansas media believe Long and others inside the UA athletic department were aware of the Petrino-Dorrell relationship well before the two crashed the coach’s bike.  Anonymous sources have given them that information, but no one has gone on the record to confirm it.  If true, it would mean Long knowingly allowed Petrino to hire his mistress and that he helped speed up the process at the coach’s request.

We’ve been waiting since mid-April for Long to have to explain what he knew, when he knew it, and how something like Petrino’s hire of Dorrell was allowed to take place on his watch (whether he knew anything about their relationship or not).  And we don’t mean putting out a press release expressing shock.

Some members of the Arkansas media are now asking those questions and they’re hearing reports that he might have known more than he initially suggested, though for now those are only rumors.  Whether anyone inside the UA athletic department will roll over on the situation — if there’s anything to roll over about — remains to be seen.

But the odds are good that if/when Stanford officials meet with Long, they’ll have more than a question or two about how a mess like Petrino’s could occur on his watch.

On numerous occasions over the past month we’ve told you that most college presidents and conference commissioners wants the realignment wheel to stop spinning for a while.  It was our view — backed up by talking to a few folks in SEC athletic departments and administrations — that the current push for a playoff without AQ status was driven in part by a desire to take away one of the key forces — AQ status — that has been driving much of the recent expansion (along with television revenue, conference infighting, and good, ol’ hubris).

That view — coupled with the fact that not one source at any school or league would confirm the Florida State/Clemson/Miami/Big 12 rumors to a single journalist at a any traditional news source — led us to believe there was nothing to the FSU realignment talk.  In fact, we still believe the trustees at FSU bought too much into rumors of TV contract flubs, reacted to those rumors, and gave the rumors more credence than deserved.  FSU board chairman Andy Haggard lit a fuse that was previously unlit, in other words.

So it’s not surprising for us to see that brand spanking new Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby has come out and said exactly what we were saying a month ago — a cooling off period on expansion would be nice:

“My opinion is college athletics would be well served by some period of smooth water and not all of the angst and disorganization that goes with moves from one league to another… 

Conference realignment will continue to be an issue and one we all have to be vigilant about.  I think the topic will be on every agenda going forward.  But it’s on every other conference’s agenda going forward, too…

It’s all about driving value for the member institutions.  There is a case to be made for optimal value being driven by the status quo, and there is a case to be made for some form of expansion.  And I’m not prejudging or adopting either side of that right now.”

Ways to read those comments:

1.  The Big 12 doesn’t want to expand before doing some serious research and learning exactly how the last round of moves will impact the league.

2.  Bowlsby and several others in the Big 12 want to expand, but with Texas in favor of remaining a 10-team league the new commish can’t buck them.  Yet.

3.  League powers are split on expansion an Bowlsby — as a newbie — is trying to figure out who to back and how.

4.  Bowlsby means what he says about wishing for smoother waters, but things change on a daily basis and it’s possible the Big 12 could add schools never… or by sundown.

5.  Bowlsby is flat lying while his league hammers out a deal with FSU right this very moment.

We’ll go with Option 4 on that list.

Presidents and league commissioners across the country are looking for stability for themselves.  Whatever insures stability for their own league or school, they’ll support.  Unfortunately, one league’s move to stabilize itself will in turn destabilize a brother conference.  Thus, the wheel never stops spinning.

But the people running the schools and leagues are smart men and women.  Most realize that it’s better to gauge the changes they’ve just made and then decide whether more changes are necessary than it is to just rush willy-nilly into more changes.  If you don’t know how a 10- or 14-team Big 12, SEC or ACC will work out, why rush to 12 or 16 schools?

Unfortunately, presidents are owned by trustees.  Trustees are often nothing more than wealthy fans driven more by emotion than the cooler, nerdier presidents.  Trustees can make presidents do things they don’t initially want to do.  That’s what happened at Missouri.  That’s what happened to an extent at Texas A&M.  And that appears to be what’s happening at Florida State.

We believe Bowlsby and others would prefer to catch their collective breath before diving back into the depths of the churning realignment seas.  The trustees and fans who ultimately drive these decisions with their checkbooks… not so much.