Athletic directors for the University of Houston and Rice said Wednesday they are closely monitoring conference realignment but remained mostly silent on any desires to join the Big 12.

The Big 12 is expected to be in the market to add at least one school after Texas A&M's announcement it plans to leave the conference by next July.

Houston has been mentioned as a possible replacement for the Aggies, although UH athletic director Mack Rhoades refused to say what interest, if any, the Cougars have in leaving Conference USA.

"I'm not going to address that at this time," Rhoades said when asked if he has talked with Big 12 officials.

Rice AD Rick Greenspan also declined to say if there have been conversations with the Big 12, but he hinted the Owls have explored their options.

"We at Rice think we're doing the right thing in terms of quietly communicating with decision-makers in the college football world," he said.

Last week, SMU athletic director Steve Orsini acknowledged that he's had informal talks with the Big 12.

A measured approach

Not speaking directly about SMU, Greenspan described Rice's position on conference realignment as "we're not going to stand on any street corner and wave any flag."

"We're not going to make any significant pronouncements," Greenspan added. "But it's my job and the (school) president's job to make sure those that are involved in these kinds of decisions understand our ambitions, understand our expectations.

"Under the right circumstances we would love to see our conference grow and be treated as a BCS conference."

Both athletic directors said it is unclear how any movement by the Big 12 could, if at all, affect C-USA. Rhoades said he believes realignment could continue to play out for some time.

"Let's face it: That's the world of college athletics right now," Rhoades said. "I think whatever happens here in the next week, two weeks, three months - who knows what the time line is - I don't think it ends there. I think it's going to continue to evolve over the next few years so you adjust and you control the things that you can control."

New facilities a priority

Rhoades said his focus is on fundraising efforts for $160 million in upgrades to UH's football and basketball facilities. The Cougars have raised $60 million for the football stadium; between $80-85 million is needed to break ground on a new stadium to replace Robertson Stadium.

Both Houston and Rice were members of the now-defunct Southwest Conference. The Cougars have played in C-USA since 1996, while Rice joined in 2005 after playing nine seasons in the Western Athletic Conference.

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