No Expansion for Pac-12 (BLOG, VIDEO)

The Pac-12's decision not to expand has made the remaining nine Big 12 schools trend toward an agreement to stick together, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com's Andy Katz. But the source said Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe's job status is tenuous at best.

The source said the decision to add BYU as the 10th member to replace departing Texas A&M will rest with Texas and Oklahoma. BYU needs to be ensured that the league is stable before leaving its football independence and the West Coast Conference, which also took in the Cougars when they needed a home for its other sports.

Before the Pac-12's announcement, The Oklahoman reported that the University of Oklahoma would only commit to staying in the Big 12 if the conference added regulations on ESPN's Longhorn Network and ousted commissioner Beebe

According to the Big 12 bylaws, a majority vote among the member schools is needed to oust the commissioner.

Beebe received an extension through June 2015 from the Big 12 in November 2010. University of Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton, chairman of the league's board of directors, said Beebe had been "an outstanding leader" during challenging times.

Beebe received a raise from $661,000 to $997,000 in 2009 before the Big 12's first near breakup when Colorado joined the Pac-12 and Nebraska jumped to the Big Ten.

After expanding from the Pac-10 with new members Utah and Colorado last year, members of the new Pac-12 on Tuesday decided not to stretch the league farther east. Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech were considering a potential move from the Big 12 to the Pac-12.

"We were not surprised by the Pac 12's decision to not expand at this time," Oklahoma president David Boren said Tuesday. "Even though we had decided not to apply for membership this year, we have developed a positive relationship with the leadership of the conference and we have kept them informed of the progress we've been making to gain agreement from the Big 12 for changes which will make the conference more stable in the future.

"Conference stability has been our first goal and we look forward to achieving that goal through continued membership in the Big 12 Conference."

Big 12 school Texas A&M has already declared it is leaving for the SEC and has been accepted as the 13th member. But the SEC wants the other nine schools to waive any legal rights to sue the league or the Aggies. Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas have refused to do so until they know if the Big 12 would stay together. The Pac-12's decision may expedite the Aggies' move to the SEC.

Texas and Oklahoma officials are expected to meet in the next few days to negotiate an agreement to keep the universities in the league for at least the next five years, the Associated Press reported, citing a person familiar with the schools' discussions. It was unclear Tuesday night whether other schools would be invited to join that meeting.





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