Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy was part of South Floridas pitch to the Big 12, and former major league first baseman Tino Martinez also went to bat for the Bulls.The Big 12 concluded a week of meetings Friday in North Texas with the 11 schools vying to join the conference. USF, Cincinnati and Rice made the final presentations, according to three people with knowledge of the meetings who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the conference was keeping its meetings confidential.According to a person familiar with USFs pitch, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik was part of the five-person team, led by university president Judy Genshaft, the school sent to Texas.USFs presentation included a video with Dungy, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts coach, and Martinez, a Tampa native, endorsing the Bulls, the person said.I think the Big 12 would be surprised to know how many people in the Tampa area are really behind the USF Bulls, Dungy said, according to an excerpt provided to the AP. There are so many sports fans here that just love the university and love to see college athletics.Dungys son, Eric, played football for USF in 2014.USF is definitely ready, said Martinez, who played 16 seasons in the majors with Seattle, the New York Yankees, St. Louis and Tampa Bay.USF plays its home games in Raymond James Stadium, home of the Buccaneers and the site of this seasons College Football Playoff championship game.The Big 12 is also considering Air Force, BYU, Central Florida, Colorado State, Connecticut, Houston, SMU and Tulane. The conference has not committed to expansion, but commissioner Bob Bowlsby has said it is exploring the possibility of adding two or four new members to the 10-team league.There has been no timetable set for the Big 12 to make a decision, but the conferences university presidents are scheduled for a regular meeting Oct. 19.Matt Holliday Jersey . 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Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Tag Ridings shot a 6-under 65 on Friday for a share of the second-round lead with Martin Flores in the Web.com Tour Finals Nationwide Childrens Hospital Championship.The 42-year-old Ridings was 52nd on the Web.com Tour regular-season money list and entered the third of four series events 36th in the race for 25 PGA Tour cards with $9,493.I think everybody that hasnt done their job so far in the first two weeks or first part of the year definitely feels that pressure, Ridings said. You want to get it done as quickly as possible to take the heat off.Starting on No. 10, he chipped in for birdie on his opening hole and had five birdies and a bogey on his first seven. He added birdies on the two front-nine par 5s.Well, this is kind of my favorite thing to do is play long, tough conditions and tough golf courses, Ridings said. So, why that is, I wish I knew, but probably more under par after two rounds on this golf course than I was anywhere all summer. It makes you think a little bit. If you mess up, youve got to take your punishment and get out of there and I did that a couple of times the last two days.Flores bogeyed the final hole for a 66 to match Ridings at 8-under 134 on Ohio States Scarlet Course. Already guaranteed a PGA Tour card with a fifth-place finish on the Web.com money list, the 34-year-old Flores birdied five of the first six holes on the back nine, making four in a row on Nos. 12-15.Im very happy, Flores said. I gave myself a lot of opportunities for birdie. I hit it close, hit it well, so extremely happy. I hit the shot I wanted to there (on 18).ddddddddddddI thought I hit a good drive, but thats just kind of how it goes sometimes.He won the Lincoln Land Charity Championship in July for his first Web.com Tour title.The series features the top 75 players from the Web.com regular-season money list, Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tours FedEx Cup standings and non-members with enough PGA Tour money to have placed in the top 200 in the FedEx Cup had they been eligible.Flores and the other top-25 finishers on the Web.com money list earned PGA Tour cards. They are competing against each other for tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting in their totals .The other players are fighting for 25 cards based on series earnings. The last PGA Tour card went at $33,650 in 2013, $36,312 in 2014 and $32,206 last year.Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton was tied for third at 6 under after a 69. He was 173rd in the FedEx Cup standings and is 63rd among the players vying for the 25 cards with $4,000.South Koreas Whee Kim, the first-round leader, had a 71 to drop into the group at 6 under along with Nicholas Lindheim (68), Xander Schauffele (68), Jason Millard (67), Grayson Murray (67), Kevin Tway (70) and Bobby Wyatt (69). Lindheim and Murray have locked up PGA Tour cards through the Web.com money list. In the fight for the 25 cards, Schauffele is 25th at $15,395, followed by Wyatt (33rd, $10,603), Kim (35th, $9,975), Millard (42nd, $8,175) and Tway (52nd, $5,975). ' ' '
