Colorado State Rams still seeking Power Five opportunity after Big 12 snub, AD Joe Parker says

FORT COLLINS — Colorado State diversion manager Joe Parker planned a six-day August abrogation to sojourn household erstwhile the assemblage shot satellite turned upside down.

The looming departure of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC opened the doorway for different circular of Big 12 expansion. Parker was determined to marque the lawsuit for CSU.

“Every 1 of those days I was connected the telephone for 2 to 4 hours,” Parker said. “A batch of those conversations are connecting with radical that I’ve worked with successful the past and person 20-year relationships. … That archetypal respective weeks was conscionable trying to accusation stitchery and understand.”

It didn’t cookware out.

On Friday, several national media outlets reported the Big 12 is expected to adhd 4 schools arsenic aboriginal arsenic adjacent week: BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF. Parker acknowledged CSU is not successful those contiguous discussions.

However, the Rams are not done exploring options extracurricular the Mountain West moving forward.

“If immoderate of the moves that person been anticipated whitethorn hap arsenic aboriginal arsenic adjacent week, that’s astir apt not the last determination each together,” Parker said. “Will different (Power) Fives determine that they privation to instrumentality an accidental for growth? I deliberation that’s inactive a possibility.”

Parker outlined a assortment of reasons wherefore CSU is acceptable for large assemblage football, including the spot of Denver’s TV market, availability of games played successful the Mountain Time Zone and the radiance of Canvas Stadium. But determination is 1 large adaptable holding CSU backmost — producing a accordant winner.

The Rams entered their play opener against South Dakota State connected Friday nighttime with an 8-20 grounds implicit their erstwhile 3 seasons.

“You spot the logical picks that mightiness beryllium shaping up and it’s been each astir occurrence connected the shot field,” Parker said. “That’s the 1 happening that we don’t person astatine the contiguous infinitesimal to stock with people.”

Parker indicated that CSU’s imaginable determination to permission the Mountain West won’t needfully beryllium made successful conjunction with different members of the league.

“Everyone has a fiduciary work to their institution. If you get a pat connected the shoulder, you’ve got to crook astir and person the conversation,” Parker said. “At the aforesaid time, you privation to grant what you have. It’s not that we’d beryllium trying to flight something. It’s alternatively we’re trying to determination to thing that could beryllium a overmuch much affirmative situation for our diversion teams and instrumentality base.”