Either the Big 12 is getting really desperate or somebody is fabricating a conference realignment rumor to draw attention. Feel free to decide for yourself on this one.
According to Charley Walters, a sports columnist for Pioneer Press, the Big 12 is “said to be quietly seeking” Minnesota as an expansion target. Bet you never saw that one coming, did you?
On the surface, this is a rumor that probably deserves very little credit. At the very least, it has about a 1% chance of ever happening.
Minnesota is one of the founding members of the Big Ten and would be crazy to walk away from the Big Ten’s massive revenue-sharing opportunities that would be unrivaled to anything the Big 12 could potentially offer. There would simply be no upside for Minnesota joining the Big Ten unless the goal is simply to get away from Big Ten hockey. Minnesota may be a hockey school, but it isn’t dumb.
The Big 12 adding Minnesota doesn’t even really make a whole lot of sense either. The Gophers bring little to the table for the Big 12 to capitalize on. Minnesota has no real connection to any existing or incoming Big 12 member. If anything, the Big 12 should probably focus more on trying to lure Nebraska back if it is looking for a Big Ten school.
Where this rumor actually comes from is unknown. Who exactly was saying the Big 12 is courting Minnesota is unknown. This is why this one feels manufactured for reactions, but conference realignment rumors are no longer considered impossibilities in this evolving era of college sports. When geography means nothing, anything is possible.
But Minnesota joining a Big 12 conference that may or may not sustain itself when staying in the financially stabilized Big Ten for years to come seems like an easy decision even if Minnesota did have to think about it for a moment.
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