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BYU has made the Big 12 expansion cut — yes, there apparently is such a thing — according to a paywall website operated by three former newspaper columnists.

The website TMGcollegesports.com reported Tuesday night in an article that is behind a paywall that BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis, Central Florida, South Florida and UConn have received invitations to continue in the process, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

The article on TMGcollegesports.com, penned by former Boston Globe columnist Mark Blaudschun, hedges a tad with phrases like "word has it," but notes that those seven schools along with "two other AAC schools" are still in the hunt.

Among the AAC schools seemingly still in the picture are SMU and Tulane.

Adding credibility to the TMGcollegesports.com report is word from East Carolina officials on Wednesday morning via a press release that the Pirates are "no longer being considered" as a Big 12 candidate.

Former Los Angeles Times national college football and basketball columnist Chris Dufresne also writes for TMGcollegesports.com. If Blaudschun's report is accurate, no teams from the Mountain West Conference are still in the running.

There was some speculation in Provo that the Big 12 would take a strong look at Colorado State or Boise State as a traveling partner for BYU, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

The Big 12 Board of Directors (school presidents) meets in Dallas on Oct. 17.

According to the website report, the finalists are expected to make presentations to the Big 12 in Dallas during the next couple of weeks.

Also, talk of "football-only" invitations apparently isn't dead. Blaudschun's report notes that such an arrangement "would be easiest for BYU and UConn" because of BYU's no-Sunday play policy and because UConn might have a landing spot in the Big East for its other sports.

Most of BYU's non-football sports compete in the West Coast Conference.