Boise State confirms it is no longer in Big 12 expansion discussions

Boise State didn’t make the cut for the Big 12 conference, according to an ESPN report Thursday morning, which the school later confirmed.

President Bob Kustra released a statement, reading:

“We will always explore opportunities to put our university and our students in the best position for success. In this case, we believe we provided the necessary information for the beginning stages of the process, but the conversations didn’t get far enough to spark a deep analysis on what the partnership could have meant to either Boise State or the Big 12. We remain confident that our membership in the Mountain West Conference provides tremendous opportunities for our student-athletes in all sports. We wish the best to the Big 12 as they move forward.”

Citing a dozen anonymous school sources, ESPN reported that at least 12 schools — including BYU, an indpendent, and Air Force and Colorado State from the Mountain West Conference — are still in the running for possible Big 12 expansion. Other schools being considered are UCF, Cincinnati, UConn, Houston, Rice, South Florida, SMU, Temple and Tulane, according to the report.

Last month, Boise State confirmed that it made a pitch to Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby regarding joining the league. Click here for the school’s letter to the Big 12 and here for Boise State’s presentation materials.

Read the full ESPN report here.

This story was originally published September 1, 2016 at 6:16 AM with the headline "Boise State confirms it is no longer in Big 12 expansion discussions."