Jason Williams

jwilliams@enquirer.com

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has asked the Big 12 Conference to invite the University of Cincinnati to join the league.

Kasich last month told Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby and each of the league's member presidents that UC would be an "outstanding choice to expand the conference's reach and nationwide appeal," according to a letter exclusively obtained by The Enquirer.

"I am convinced that the University of Cincinnati will be a strong, competitive addition to the Big 12 Conference and I fully support such a move," Kasich wrote in a July 12 letter.

The Republican's letter was written before the July 19 decision by Big 12 leaders to officially move forward with considering expansion.

Big 12 officials are reviewing expansion candidates, and UC is believed to be among the favorites to receive an invite if the conference decides to add two or four schools. A decision on expansion could come by Labor Day weekend.

Kasich isn't the only high-profile politician to recently go to bat for an expansion candidate. In a Twitter message on July 21, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for the Big 12 to invite the University of Houston.

Neither Kasich nor Abbott have an official vote on expansion. The decision will be up to the Big 12's presidents and chancellors.

Kasich individually addressed a duplicate of his four-paragraph letter to Bowlsby and each of the 10 presidents and chancellors, including West Virginia President Gordon Gee. Kasich and Gee have had a strong relationship for a long time, dating to when Gee was president at Ohio State. Kasich leaned on Gee for guidance on budget and other higher education issues, even after he left Ohio State in 2013.

Gee had been on the Big 12 expansion subcommittee, and it's believed he sides with University of Oklahoma President and Big 12 board Chairman David Boren in wanting UC to receive an invitation. West Virginia is a geographic outlier in a conference mostly based in Texas and Oklahoma. UC would give West Virginia a geographic rival and add another school in the Eastern time zone for the Big 12.

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Kasich spokeswoman Emmalee Kalmbach said the governor has not yet received any responses to the letter. She added that Kasich has not received any requests to appear or speak at Big 12-related meetings or functions.

In his letter, Kasich said UC would be an "excellent fit" academically and competitively. The former Republican presidential candidate also said UC has an "eager, sports-enthusiastic audience." Additionally, Kasich touted the city of Cincinnati as being a strong media market and having a "top-flight corporate community."

"Cincinnati ... will stand as a powerhouse city among the current Big 12 landscape," said Kasich, an Ohio State alumnus and Buckeyes football fan.

UC has made ongoing efforts to join the Big 12 over the past two years, hoping to move into one of the five lucrative college football conferences. In addition to UC, it's believed BYU and Houston are leading expansion candidates. Memphis and Connecticut also are believed to be receiving strong consideration.

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