Is the Big 12 doesn't want to risk going below 10 teams because it puts its TV contracts at risk.

Therefor the new team needs to be added before aTm officially leaves or the conference's stability would be at much greater risk. BYU is one team that could join quickly. In others word BYU needs to strike first and set the table for Notre Dame to join, not the other way around.

But from the sounds of it, BYU admin thinks pretty highly of its new independance higher than perhaps even Notre Dame thinks of there independance.