Randy Peterson

rpeterson@dmreg.com

Curiosity struck when ESPN.com reported recently that Colorado State is among schools raising hands if a big time conference — let’s say the Big 12 — is looking to expand its membership.

Interest really kicked in when the Dallas Morning News’ Chuck Carlton wrote last week that Colorado State was among what he believes (right now) are the top four expansion candidates — the others being Connecticut, BYU and Cincinnati.

Rams to the Big 12?

Denver is just an hour’s drive from Fort Collins, and we all know what Denver means.

Potential television viewership, that’s what.

Colorado State will christen a new football stadium in 2017 — a $200-million facility that seats 41,000.

It’d be the Big 12’s smallest, but big deal. It’s Colorado, for gosh sakes. It’ll be on campus, and oh by the way, the campus is at the base of the majestic Rocky Mountains.

The basketball programs are solid — especially the women’s team, which went 31-1 before losing in the first round of the this year's NCAA Tournament.

The men’s team was an NCAA participant in the 2012-13 season, and won its first 14 games in 2014-15.

The coach is Larry Eustachy. And now I’m really intrigued.

Everyone remembers Larry: the feisty, charismatic, and very good coach whom Iowa State fired in May 2003 after the Partying with the Coeds Caper.

It was a blemish — an embarrassment to the man, his family, and the university — but we live in a forgiving world.

Iowa State fans adored him when he stomped up and down the sidelines while compiling a 101-59 five-season record. They’d adore him even if he came back as the coaching villain.

It’s still uncertain, though, whether the Big 12 will even expand. Commissioner Bob Bowlsby told everyone attending the conference meeting two weeks ago that increasing membership from 10 to 12 and adding a conference championship game would improve the conference’s chance at a College Football Playoff berth.

But the concept must have 80 percent approval of Big 12 school presidents, and right now, no one knows if that’s even attainable. They’re meeting in a couple of weeks in Dallas. They might make expansion official. They might vote no. They might not even vote.

We know, though, that Colorado State isn’t the only school trying to get noticed. ESPN has reported that officials at Houston, Memphis, and Central Florida also “have been lobbying members of the Big 12’s composition committee.”

Peterson: Potential Big 12 expansion a bigger boon for hoops

Cool.

Houston, where former Cyclones offensive coordinator Tom Herman is the head coach.

Memphis, where Tubby Smith is the men’s basketball coach.

Central Florida, where former Nebraska star quarterback Scott Frost is the football coach.

Sure.

And don’t forget Cincinnati, BYU, Connecticut and Boise State.

Speak up, if I’m missing anyone.

But Colorado State?

Why not Colorado State, unless you’re hung up on the three time-zone thing — West Virginia in the East, Iowa State and others in Central, and the Rams in Mountain time.

Colorado was a Big Eight and later a Big 12 member, and that went well — except for the time Cyclones quarterback Austen Arnaud suffered a season-ending knee injury while playing in a 2010 game in Boulder.

Yes, the thought of returning to that state — this time Colorado State, is appealing — maybe the most thought-provoking of them all.

Eustachy coming back to Ames every so often, maybe even wearing a black mock turtle neck shirt like he wore as a Cyclone, would be big time. He’s more button-down now, I hear, though.

Eustachy and West Virginia’s Bob Huggins coaching in the same league — and in the same game?

It doesn’t get much better than that in this journalism business.

Garth Brooks, a former Oklahoma State athlete, recently told Fox Sports that he favors Arkansas, and that’d be OK, too.

The secondary coach there is Paul Rhoads, who at this time last season was still trying to figure out how to make Iowa State into a winner. The head coach is former Hawkeye player Bret Bielema.

That’s not happening, though. The Razorbacks have no reason to leave the lucrative comfort of the SEC.

And Eustachy probably won’t be a Hilton Coliseum regular any time soon, either, but the prospects of adding Colorado State is at least worth discussing.

Cyclones columnist Randy Peterson has been reporting on ISU during the past five decades. Follow @RandyPete.