Big 12 football: Bob Bowlsby visits OU

Bob Bowlsby visited the OU campus Monday. We ran part of his press conference in a Q&A in the Tuesday Oklahoman, which you can read here.

But Bowlsby had some other interesting things to say. And his opening remarks were as interesting as the questions.
There aren’t a lot of juicy news to delve into. Expansion has gone dormant. The television contract talks are virtually concluded, with most of the details known.

But Bowlsby is a newcomer to the conference and has interesting insight to the Big 12.

“It’s been an interesting 21/2 months for me,” Bowlsby said. “After spending 35 years on campus. The conference office is just a little different for me.

“I told president Boren at lunch, one of the challenges has been being flopped into a new position and not really having the opportunity to define my own agenda. In coming in, we were right in the middle of the BCS and national championship series reconfiguration, right in the middle of the commencement of the Champions Bowl (Big 12 vs. SEC) and right in the middle of our television negotiations. And in large measure we still are right in them idle of all of those.

“The first 21/2 months, the activities have been bringing those initiatives to closure and getting out to the campuses. And anticipating the first football weekend. I’m happy this weekend commences the last part of that process. It will be fun to once again get out on campus. See our football teams play, see our volleyball teams play, see our cross-country teams run and the like. It really is what we’re all about.”

Bowlsby had some very solid things to say about OU.

“I got here early this morning, spent some time meeting with the head coaches,” he said. “What an impressive array of individuals comprise the head coaches here at the University of Oklahoma. President Boren has been very generous with his time.

“I did take a little facilities tour. But I have to say, the most impressive building I’ve seen so far is the university library. What an extraordinary renovation has been completed on that facility.