Bowlsby committed to change NCAA as Big 12 commish

Associated Press
FILE - In this July 22, 2013, file photo, Big 12 Conference Commissioner Bob Bowlsby addresses the media at the beginning of the Big 12 Conference Football Media Days in Dallas. Bowlsby has become the de facto president of the NCAA's power conferences. Could he be the next NCAA president? (AP Photo/Tim Sharp, File)

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says he expects to be at the conference for a long time and would rather shape the future of college sports in his current job than as NCAA president.

Bowlsby has been a vocal advocate of NCAA reform. He practically overshadowed President Mark Emmert at the NCAA's state of the union news conference during the Final Four.

As Bowlsby's profile has grown, so has speculation he could be a candidate to succeed Emmert at some point.

Bowlsby is committed to the Big 12 and thinks he can be "more effective in supporting and leading change from my current location. And that's the vantage point from which I want to do it."