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If Texas and Oklahoma were to remain in the Big 12 conference through their 2025 contract, they could potentially be a part of a divisional split for three seasons. Continue reading “Report: Big 12 conference discussing two seven-team divisions beginning in 2023”
Big 12 leadership voted to officially invite BYU, UCF, Houston, and Cincinnati to join the Big 12 conference.
The college football world has been wondering what the Big 12 was going to do in the wake of the pending departures of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC. it was reported late last week that BYU, Central Florida, Houston, and Cincinnati were garnering interest from the league as it explored expansion.
As Big 12 leadership met today, they voted to officially invite the aforementioned schools to join the Power Five conference. In the Big 12’s official statement, the vote to invite the four Group of Five schools was unanimous.
The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors this morning voted to extend membership invitations to Brigham Young University, the University of Central Florida, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Houston to join the Conference.
Today’s actions were in accordance with Big 12 Conference Bylaw 1.5.2.b.3 requiring an affirmative vote of a supermajority of Directors, and was approved unanimously by the eight continuing members.
Central Florida, BYU, Houston, and Cincinnati have each been a part of the national conversation over the last two decades and will join a Big 12 looking to rejuvenate its brand after losing its two premiere members.
Though it’s not yet known when the four schools will join the Big 12 as much of it will depend on the details in their media rights deals.
After losing Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC, this was about as strong a move as could be expected by the Big 12. They were unlikely to draw from another Power Five conference. However, bringing in Cincinnati (which was a part of the old Big East), BYU (who is a strong independent second only to Notre Dame), Houston (who was a part of the last round of negotiations on conference expansion), and UCF (who thrust themselves into the national title race a few years back with an undefeated season), the Big 12 provided the strongest possible to answer the conference realignment question.
The conference may not have the same powerhouses as it did with Texas and Oklahoma, but the addition of these four schools just created more competition and more excitement.
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The Big 12 is making moves.
The Big 12 will once again have the appropriate number of members in the conference.
The only caveat is that it took the conference’s two marquee schools, Texas and Oklahoma, shocking the nation and fleeing the Big 12 to join the SEC without anyone knowing.
The Big 12 needed to make a move in response, otherwise the conference would sink and bring the remaining eight teams with it. On Friday, the Big 12 formally invited BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to join the conference.
The announcement you’ve all been waiting for…
🚨 Big 12 Extends Membership Invitationshttps://t.co/YLZFxp0N48
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 10, 2021
Of the new additions, BYU has the easiest process of joining the Big 12 as they are currently an Independent team in football. According to ESPN, BYU will be joining in the 2023-2024 season. The other three schools have some hoops to jump through due to contractual obligations with the AAC, and although they can join the conference the same time as BYU, they will have to pay a larger buyout fee.
According to the statements made by Texas and Oklahoma, the two schools do not plan on leaving the Big 12 until 2025. If so, the conference could field 14 teams for a couple seasons until their departure. However, it’s still seemingly likely that the Longhorns and Sooners are playing in the SEC much sooner than that.
It is unknown what will now happen to the AAC, but the Big 12 securing these four schools very well just saved the existence of a conference that was thought to be dead and gone.
College Football Daily Cavalcade: The Big 12 has expanded and added BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. What does it all mean? What’s next?
College Football Daily Cavalcade: The Big 12 has expanded and added BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF. What does it all mean? What’s next?
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
I’m not used to a conference that calls itself the Big 12 having 12 teams in it.
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We now live in a world with a college conference that goes from Utah to Florida, Ohio to Texas, and a whole lot of places in between.
The Big 12 formally asked BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF to join, the four accepted, and now the conference that lost Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC has found a way to stay alive, viable, and in a few ways, stronger.
So what does it mean, what’s next, and how is this all going to work?
The announcement you’ve all been waiting for…
🚨 Big 12 Extends Membership Invitationshttps://t.co/YLZFxp0N48
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 10, 2021
1. Remember, this is about business and not sports. The fun part is talking about the possibilities of the new Big 12 as a sports league, but it’s really about how the conference can move forward after losing its two superstars.
Think of this like Moneyball. You can’t replace Giambi and Damon – you can’t replace Texas and Oklahoma. Those two are mega-revenue monsters that aren’t out there for the Big 12 to grab from other Power Five leagues. However, now the 12-team conference will be more even without the power all at the top with two schools – and really one, Texas.
UCF gives the Big 12 the Orlando market, a footprint in Florida, and a massive school with over 50,000 students.
Houston doesn’t replace Texas or Texas A&M, but it does put a team in a top five media market.
Cincinnati isn’t all that big media-wise, but it’s a natural fit to help bridge the geographical gap somewhat with West Virginia, and BYU is simply a huge part of the puzzle with an international fan base all while getting a decent Salt Lake City market.
2. This shouldn’t stop there. The Big 12 hasn’t made any hints of going any further for the moment, but it should think about USF to get Tampa and a natural rival with UCF. It should expand further to the west and get San Diego State and Nevada before the Pac-12 gets to yes already, and it should consider Memphis just to add another big area and another state.
Again, think about how you have to construct this with several schools making up for the lost two. But all of this is for later.
3. Divisions. As I’m writing this it’s not official yet, but it’s probably going to be Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, and West Virginia in what might be called the East, and Baylor, BYU, Houston, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Texas Tech in the West.
– ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 Alliance: Media Market Advantage
4. I’m old enough to remember when the American Athletic Conference was going to pick over the carcass of the Big 12. This is a gigantic blow for a league that was seemingly just on the verge of really and truly making it a Power 6 – even if it was going to be the distant No. 6 league.
This was hardly a shocker, but now the trickle down effect in this zero sum game happens. It has to try replacing irreplaceable colleges in an attempt to move forward, and that means it has to do the same thing the Big 12 is doing – go after media markets.
Florida Atlantic, FIU, Marshall, Southern Miss, UAB, and UTSA, should all be on the table from Conference USA. There aren’t a ton of other options. Maybe Northern Illinois, but it doesn’t have the hold on Chicago it thinks it does. Maybe Army, but that’s a stretch, and maybe Liberty, but there are a whole slew of problems there.
5. As always, remember, this situation is fluid. Just because the Big 12 made this move to become a whole lot stronger doesn’t mean the Big Ten or Pac-12 can’t or won’t just swoop in and expand with Kansas. The Big 12 is still extremely vulnerable.
6. It’s getting sort of lost in the overall picture of the moment, but BYU joining a conference is a massive deal on a whole slew of levels. The Pac-12 never meshed ideologically, and life as an independent wasn’t bad for BYU.
However, whether or not to join a conference has always been a constant debate within the fan base for years ever since it left the Mountain West, and the Big 12 is a terrific landing spot. Now, the College Football Playoff is in play more than before – mainly if there’s a CFP expansion. On the other side, this was a great get business-wise for the Big 12.
7. Revenue sharing? Uhhhhhhh, we’ll get back to you on that. Not all four schools being brought in are equal. BYU has a whole infrastructure it’ll want to keep.
8. So does this move make the Big 12 alliance-worthy with the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12? Okay, maybe, but the conference is still missing the big-time football killer on a traditional level. However, when it comes to the potential of the College Football Playoff expanding, the Big 12 should now have a seat at the table to demand an automatic spot for its champion.
9. To be goofy about this, it’s a happy day for everyone but the American Athletic Conference. This is a dream come true for UCF as it went from total obscurity as a commuter school playing football to a Power Five conference and all the notoriety that comes with it.
Houston has always wanted to be a part of the Big 12, and Cincinnati makes a move back into a big league after the Big East fizzled out over a decade ago. And again, BYU is in a Power Five conference. It’s a form of college sports legitimacy that it’s been looking for.
It’s always nice to be wanted.
It’s also nice to for a major college sports conference to bounce back big.
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Realignment has caused the Big 12 to take a long look at its future. With plans to add 4 more teams, conference should look to rebrand.
When the Big 12 was founded in 1994 (began play in 1996) as a combination of the old Southwest Conference and the Big 8, it became as recognizable as any conference in college football. The brands the conference featured as part of the new 12-team league were as big as it got in college football.
With Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, and Texas A&M leading the way for the new venture, the Big 12 had staked its claim among the best conferences in college football.
Two rounds of realignment have left it working to find a new group of teams, which will bring a new identity. The teams have changed significantly. Perhaps it’s time for the conference to change as well.
The last decade for the Big 12 has been marked with departures and a lack of leadership. It’s become a conference that isn’t viewed in the same light as the SEC or the Big 10, which hasn’t always been its legacy.
Since its first season in 1996, the Big 12 has lost half of its original members. Colorado, Nebraska, Texas A&M, and Missouri are gone. Oklahoma and Texas will be joining the Aggies and Tigers in the SEC in the coming year(s). The last decade has been a punch in the gut for the Big 12. Those losses will haunt conference leadership for years. If they let them.
Even before Oklahoma and Texas decided to leave for the SEC, realignment had caused a shift in the perception of the conference. For as much as Bob Stoops fought to maintain the reputation of the Big 12, it hasn’t been seen in the same light since the last round of realignment.
That’s part of the reason the Sooners and Longhorns are on their way to the SEC. They wanted to be a part of the biggest brand in college football, and it became clear, as much as we didn’t want to admit it, that the SEC is the biggest brand in college football.
The Big 12 will continue with the moniker when it adds UCF, BYU, Cincinnati, and Houston. Each are fantastic additions. However, the name won’t hold the same value. When people think about the Big 12, it’ll be remembered for the issues that led to half of its membership to depart for greener grass in other conferences.
Though the conference may not carry the same weight it once did, it will be a solid conference that will be incredibly competitive. The new-look Big 12 won’t have a heavy hitter like Oklahoma, but it will have many great games, making for exciting television because the teams will be more evenly matched. And still, it won’t move the needle like it has with Oklahoma and Texas leading the charge.
Tradition and history matter, but the Big 12 hasn’t been around so long that it can’t look at a rebrand. Commissioner Bob Bowlsby and the member institutions should look at this as an opportunity to move on from the past failures of the conference, both on and off the field, and forge ahead to a new future with a new identity.
There’s an opportunity here for the Big 12 to write a new chapter in the history of college football.
While it may not be the story they wanted to write, it’s time to embrace change and take it forward with a new name and a new identity. What we knew as the Big 12 is no more.
You can’t erase the past. It stays with us. However, every time the Big 12 logo pops up on a screen on Saturdays in the fall, it will be a reminder of what was. It’ll never be what it was.
With a new slate of teams expected to be added with an official vote on Friday, it’s time to embrace what the new look conference can be.
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Per a report from Pete Thamel of CBS Sports, the Big 12 Conference is set to vote on adding UCF, BYU, Cincinnati, and Houston.
When the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns announced their intentions to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, speculation has run rampant regarding the future of the conference. From disbandment to forming scheduling alliances, the Big 12 looked to be on its last legs.
Then word came out late last week, as the country was preparing for the first full week of college football, that the Big 12 had shown interest in adding UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, and BYU to the conference in the wake of realignment.
Well, according to a report from Pete Thamel of CBS Sports, expansion is quickly becoming a reality as the presidents of the Big 12 member schools scheduled a call to formally vote on expansion.
Sources: A Big 12 presidents call is scheduled for Friday morning to formally vote UCF, Cincinnati, Houston and BYU into the league. The vote is largely considered a formality.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 9, 2021
In the ever-changing landscape of college football, Big 12 expansion has moved as quickly as Texas and Oklahoma’s realignment to the SEC. One week we heard about it and the next week it was done.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and the university leaderships are moving much more proactively this time around than they did a decade ago. The last round of realignment saw them lose four major programs in the conference. While they added West Virginia and TCU, it always felt like a half-measure and conference expansion was annually the talk of Big 12 media days.
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Adding UCF, Houston, Cincinnati, and BYU makes a lot of sense from a marketing and competition standpoint. Each of those teams can contend in the new-look Big 12. Even as Group of Five schools, they’ve had an impact on the national landscape for much of the last two decades.
It’s a strong move by a conference that would have struggled to survive without expansion. Though the vote won’t make the Big 12’s expansion plans official until Friday, it’s a move that will help move the conference forward into the next era of college football.
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Cincinnati has officially submitted its application to join the Big 12 conference.
Although the Big 12 is losing its two marquee teams in Texas and Oklahoma, they are doing everything they can to preserve the conference.
In regards to a potential Big 12 expansion, the conference received great news on Wednesday. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the University of Cincinnati has officially applied to join the Big 12 conference.
The Bearcats’ application is expected to be accepted on Friday, but this is still early on in the process to leave the American Athletic Conference, which requires each team to provide a 27-month notice that they are departing. On top of that, Cincinnati would have to pay an exit fee.
BREAKING: University of Cincinnati has officially submitted its application to join the Big 12 Conference, according to two university sources. https://t.co/YfRc2ncAM4
— Enquirer (@Enquirer) September 8, 2021
Cincinnati has been one of the best Group of Five teams in the nation, and joining the Big 12 is a win-win scenario for both parties involved. The Bearcats are looking to become a national powerhouse, and joining a Power Five conference can help them get there. If the Bearcats can continue competing at this high of a level, they would stop getting snubbed from the College Football Playoff.
Adding Cincinnati not only gives the Big 12 the Ohio market, but it also opens up some doors recruiting wise for the remaining Big 12 teams.
This is significant news considering just a few weeks ago the Big 12 conference looked doomed. If they are able to add three more schools, which it has already been reported that they will pursue UCF, BYU, and Houston, then the Big 12 will continue to be a respectable conference.
Cincinnati is currently ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll, and are looking to be the first Group of Five team to make the College Football Playoff.
Four schools that the Big 12 is considering adding.
The Big 12 conference will be fighting for its life in a matter of years (months?) when the two blueblood programs of the conference, Texas and Oklahoma, depart for the SEC.
It has left many speculating whether the conference will search for new members or just disband all together. The decision is one that is very heavily influenced by money, television deals, and overall value that a school can bring to the conference.
It may sound like a simple process, but in fact it is the opposite. The Big 12 realistically can only choose from Group of Five schools. No one will leave the SEC and the endless supply of cash. On top of that, the alliance of the Pac-12 (who said they are not adding anyone), ACC, and Big Ten have ruled out any other Power Five team.
However, that does not mean there are not quality universities out there to chose from. It’s just a matter of selling the sinking conference. I compiled a list of six schools the Big 12 should consider pursing, and of those six, it was reported by The Athletic that three of them are among the four leading contenders.
As of right now, the Big 12 is planning on attempting to preserve the conference after the departure of the Longhorns and Sooners. Commissioner Bob Bowlsby has been adamant that the conference can stay together. Here is what he said at a recent statement:
“The eight ADs remain committed to furthering the Big 12 as one of the nation’s premier athletic conferences, and look forward to working with our presidents and chancellors to strengthen the league. Future exploration by the group will continue to center on options that best position the long-term strength of the Conference.”
The Athletic mentioned the timeframe of when all this could happen, as due to the Big 12 bylaws, members need to give 18 months notice before leaving the conference and must pay a $80 million fee. In order to join the SEC by 2023, Texas and Oklahoma have until the end of December.
The schools that are being considered have some hoops to jump through as well, but let’s take a look at the Big 12’s top choices to join the conference.
Six teams the Big 12 should/could add in the near future.
At the beginning of June, I listed a few possible suitors to join the Big 12 to help the conference get back up to 12 teams.
Little did I realize, Texas and Oklahoma would be informing the Big 12 of their plan to leave the conference just weeks later. The two powerhouse programs would kick off the most impactful realignment ever with their plan to join the SEC.
This announcement left the college football world in awe, and led to other conferences making similar plans in order to ensure their respective conference can remain as one of the powers. While many initially thought that Texas and Oklahoma leaving would force the other Big 12 schools to do the same, we have recently learned that likely won’t be happening either.
The Pac-12, Big Ten, and ACC recently announced that they were forming an alliance, and unfortunately for the remaining eight Big 12 teams, that means they are on the outside looking in. The Big 12 teams were hopeful to head out west and join the Pac-12, but that dream was crushed when The Athletic reported on August 26 that the Pac-12 is not interested in expanding their conference.
Realistically, this leaves the Big 12 with two plausible options remaining. Unless the Big Ten or ACC decide to open their doors, the Big 12 is now standing alone in the corner at the party hoping for someone to talk to them.
The eight teams can either stick together, and all join the AAC together, which I predicted at least five out of the eight would end up doing if they were to leave, or they can seek out new members to join and revive the what seems to be a barely afloat conference.
When I first listed five teams that could join, I included USC as an honorable mention, but them joining was mutually inclusive with Texas and Oklahoma being in the conference so now that they are gone, and the Pac-12 is looking as content as ever, that is out the window.
The Big 12 needs to add, at the very minimum, four teams to get the conference back to 12 teams, but it should likely look into adding six to eight more teams to keep up with the rest of the college football world. Personally, I believe six is much more practical for the conference, as right now it is not the most appealing destination.
Let’s take a look at the six teams that make the most sense for the Big 12 to pursue.
The Big 12’s only option is to expand its own conference over the next half decade. According to a report, BYU is being heavily considered.
If you wrote a script where the entire premise was to kill the Big 12, I don’t think it would have been anywhere close to what has unfolded over the past month. Commissioner Bob Bowlsby has lost his two biggest programs to the SEC only to be left out of The Alliance by the ACC/Big Ten/Pac-12.
Even worse for the remaining eight schools within the conference? It seems as if neither of the other four Power Five conferences are willing to accept them. The Pac-12 came out of Thursday saying there are no intentions of expansion at all. Being in agreement with the west coast conference, there is little chance the ACC or Big Ten will listen either.
The Big 12’s only option is to expand its own conference and pray the product is good enough for lucrative television contracts within the next half-decade. Texas and Oklahoma’s departure to the SEC could speed things up but for now, the current TV deal expires after the 2024 season.
One candidate to join the Big 12 according to The Athletic is BYU. Currently an independent school, the Cougars have as big of a following as any school in the country thanks to their religious views. Per the report, BYU drew in around the same viewers per game as the other eight Big 12 schools when appearing on ABC, ESPN, or FOX.
As the Big 12’s expansion subgroup gets to work, sources say the school generating the most discussion right now is BYU.
Story with @Andy_Staples on the interest, potential fit and TV value: https://t.co/U1i708CM6C
— Max Olson (@max_olson) August 27, 2021
Currently being an independent will work in favor of BYU as well. Unlike Texas and Oklahoma, no buyout fee to a conference could potentially delay a move. The Cougars are currently in a deal with ESPN through the 2026 season after renewing in January 2020. Since the worldwide leader already has a contract with the Big 12, there should be no issue transitioning over.
This would bring the conference’s member total to nine, assuming Texas and Oklahoma leave after this season. One more school would be needed to be added before being considered a Power Five conference again. The American Athletic Conference seems to be the most likely candidate to be poached from.
