Kansas athletic director Travis Goff spoke to reporters at the Big 12 football media days in Dallas. He covered several topics and we have the latest what he said about the Big 12 and conference realignment. Staff writer Conner Becker was on hand to meet with Goff.

Q: What is your general reaction to everything that has happened in the last 10 days to two weeks?

Well, a year ago I was literally a rookie. I had to unpack the bags and you're trying to figure that situation out. And obviously, a year ago felt a lot more immediately close to home with Texas and OU.

This go-round just from having been in the position for over a year now, a little bit more confidence in terms of the Big 12, what the Big 12 stands for. What the Big 12 had been through and literally having lived through that, going back to late last summer, early part of the fall, seeing the strength of the league.

Seeing the league get stronger together through that and some of the challenges and pain that came with it. And then knowing that we're adding four great programs to it in a year we'll be at a really strong 12. We're excited about that. So I'd say, the reaction was one of a little bit more steadiness. Felt certainly more stable, more confidence in where the conference was at and where the conference was going.

Then ultimately, then there's that forever that part of you that lives in the state of kind of paranoia concern about what other dominoes, what other chips could fall that could impact the league or impact other leagues that could then have a ripple effect. So, it's kind of living in both those spaces simultaneously.

Q: Commissioner Brett Yormark said the league is open for business. Do you feel confident and he's not officially the commissioner yet, but in that direction and which way he wants to take things?

Yeah. Well, I think it goes back to again, 10, 11 months ago, almost a year ago now, this juncture where the Big 12, after some instability of a handful of weeks or whatever that stretch was from OU and Texas to then activating on adding four. I think we carry that energy, that momentum, that confidence forward from going out in our estimation, going to get the best four available to then going okay, new commissioner, new vision, new perspective, new learnings from the past year.

I mean, there's no reason that the Big 12 shouldn't feel confident about where it's at and about its positioning in the market. And he says it well, open for business, which just means a variety of things get to be in consideration. And I love the way he's gone about establishing relationships with other commissioners, partners, exploring really all options. Because ultimately you can have a particular strategy in mind, but a twist and a turn could change that real quickly. So you need to know what other options are out there.

Q: Is the goal internally to position the Big 12 to be that number three conference?

I mean, I think it's a natural sentiment to have if we all know without hesitation that there's separation from the SEC and the Big 10 which isn't really up for debate, then we should all feel whether you're in the Big 12, which we do and certainly feel as a league. I think whether you're in the ACC or the PAC 12, that there's an opportunity to position your conference, do what you can as an institution to help position your conference to be right there in that ranking.

So, to speak, whether that be the financial variables, whether that be the brand, or the reputation and so while we don't sit there and talk about what does it look like to be the clear cut three? I think we all feel like that's maybe where the opportunity lies as you forecast out.

[Travis Goff: The latest on facility and football stadium upgrades]

Q: Do you feel comfortable with the direction of the Big 12 as Kansas being part of that?

Yeah, absolutely. And I think again, Brett said it really well. Bob Bowlsby put us in exceptional position, our presence, our chances put us in a great spot to be able to now take advantage of whatever the opportunities are that are out in front of us. And without hesitation, I think Brett Yormark’s the guy to lead us there.

His background, his unique experience, his energy and passion, his ability to work on partnerships, to think from an innovative perspective, that's without a doubt, what we have to have at the helm. And he's already showing that and delivering that early on in his tenure.

Q: I know it goes beyond you, but would the university consider moving the athletic programs to one of the other conferences at the opportunity?

The beauty of it is you get to live where your feet are. And for us, that is right here comfortably and confidently in the Big 12. And we've got a lot of work to do at our own place. We got our own backyard and front porch to take care of before we worry about other neighbors or neighborhoods. And that's where we're focused and we're glad to be doing it in a conference that has stability has strength.

Q: When you hear the commissioner talking and saying the Big 12's open for business, saying no stone unturned, does that kind of fire you up to know that he's here, he's ready to work, he's ready to make the big 12 with everything that it can be?

Yeah, no question. I mean, I think that's the mentality you have to have, whether you're the commissioner of the Big 12 or whether you're the athletic director in a Big 12 institution, whether you're the head football coach. Thinking about being down here for media days, it is just that.

It's making sure that you're absolutely understanding the landscape. It's making sure you're exploring any and all ways in which you can invest in your particular place, in your property. In Brett's case, that's the conference. We’ve got great alignment behind that. And then for each of us, I think we all feel similarly. It's like, how are we maximizing our value? How are we addressing our deficiencies, our liabilities and then Kansas, those are the things that we're focused on.