This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It looks like BYU has called in one of its heavy hitters to lobby the Big 12 for inclusion if the conference decides to expand.

The Austin American-Statesman is reporting that 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, a BYU graduate, "has called power brokers, including Oklahoma State's T. Boone Pickens, lobbying for support for BYU to join the conference."

Pickens is a well-known Texas oilman and OSU booster who once referred to Provo as being an isolated community off the beaten path.

"And BYU? Who in the hell knows where Provo, Utah, is?" Pickens said in 2011 when discussing Notre Dame and BYU as potential Big 12 members.

In the Austin newspaper piece, columnist Kirk Bohls says that Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told him that fewer than 20 candidates have expressed interest in joining the league. The commissioner is almost done with the one-hour video presentations submitted by the interested schools, and has been in touch with several Big 12 presidents to update them on the process.