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Report: Oklahoma's board of regents objects to Big 12 expansion (Update)

Graham Watson

Update: 5/9 - 6:55 p.m. ET

Oklahoma released statements from president David Boren and Max Weitzenhoffer, the chairman of OU's board of regents, Monday evening.

Boren reiterated his willingness to Big 12 expansion while Weitzenhoffer voiced his support for Boren. Earlier on Monday, Weitzenhoffer expressed trepidation to expanding the conference and said other board members feel the same way.

“I first want to make it clear that I have complete confidence in the leadership of the University of Oklahoma," Weitzenhoffer's statement said. "President Boren has proven to be a visionary and effective leader of the university. I am confident that our President will lead the university in the right direction on matters related to the Big 12 Conference. He has and will continue to have my full support.”

Added Boren: “I remain firmly committed to my belief that we should all work together to make the Big 12 Conference even stronger through holistic reform that allows for possible expansion and the creation of a Big 12 network.”

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As the Big 12 wrestles with whether to expand and add a championship game, one of the main teams at the center of the expansion controversy can’t seem to agree on the proper path to take.

Oklahoma president David Boren has been one of the league’s most outspoken proponents of expansion, but some of the members of his board of regents aren’t on the same page.

Max Weitzenhoffer, chairman of Oklahoma’s board of regents, told CBSSports.com that he and several other board members are staunch opponents to expanding from the league’s current 10-team structure.

"I don't know what we have to gain," Weitzenhoffer told the website.

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Talk about expanding the Big 12 ramped up following spring meetings in Phoenix after coaches and administrators were shown analytics by Chicago-based Navigate Research that claimed the conference had a 62 percent chance of getting into the College Football Playoff in any given year under its current model. That number jumps up 10-15 percent if the conference adds two more teams and a championship game.

The Big 12’s presidents will meet May 31 to June 3 at the Big 12 meetings to continue discussions. However, Oklahoma’s board of regents wants its voice heard now. A lot of the opposition has to do with the choices available for expansion. Teams such as Boise State, BYU, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Memphis, South Florida and UCF have been thrown out as possible additions, but none of those names thrill Oklahoma’s board of regents.

"Those are the ones I keep hearing," Weitzenhoffer told CBSSports.com. "They have no seating capacities in their stadiums. They really don't build them up. They really don't have any TV. I really don't know what we have to gain by that."

"The problem with Cincinnati is ... then they start getting all this money. Then what do we do? We build up somebody we don't want to build up."

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The Oklahoma board of regents is the seven-member governing body of the university. It will meet Thursday to see where all the members stand on expansion and will deliver its verdict to Boren. The Oklahoma board of regents wields great power over university decisions, but even Weitzenhoffer acknowledges that Oklahoma might not be able to sway the league from expanding.

"If it goes forward, it may get to the point where we may not be able to stop it," Weitzenhoffer told the website.

For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!