Conference expansion: Power rankings for who joins the Big Ten next (and who leaves the ACC and the Big 12)

Where could the Big Ten be looking next in conference expansion?

College conference expansion is taking a break, but it isn’t going to slow down. Not anytime soon, and not as long as the ACC’s media deal remains inferior to that of the Big Ten, the SEC and the Big 12 (not to mention Notre Dame).

But it is clear after recent additions of Oregon and Washington that the Big Ten will continue to be aggressive in the college expansion and realignment landscape. This is as much about accruing assets (i.e. desirable media markets) as it is about adding fine athletic programs.

So where does the Big Ten go next in all of this? And what does the Big Ten value in conference expansion?

AAU membership (all current additions to the Big Ten are members of this prestigious academic institution)

Football, followed by basketball, drives this bus

Media markets, especially for the next television deal, are vastly important for the Big Ten to remain the most valuable conference in college sports.

So with that being said, scroll down and check out the most recent power rankings for possible expansion candidates to the Big Ten!

(Oh, and no Notre Dame on this list as they don’t seem enthralled with the idea of joining any conference quite yet)

What’s next for the Big Ten? Five bold predictions for conference expansion (including Notre Dame)

A look at the Big Ten possibly expanding and where it might be going next in all of this.

It was last weekend that the Big Ten expanded once again, raiding the Pac-12 to grab Oregon and Washington. But where do things go from here for the Big Ten and the rest of college sports? And what happens to Notre Dame in all of this?

The only thing that seems certain in all of this, is that nothing is really certain. It seems like half of the Power Five programs not in the Big Ten or the SEC are possible targets for a further move in conference expansion.

Including basically the entirety of the ACC, which is tied to a terrible television deals that is now dwarfed by the Big Ten’s numbers.

Scroll down and check out five (mostly) bold predictions about where things end up with conference expansion.

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy: Big Ten would rather raid the ACC, not the Pac-12 in future conference expansion

ESPN’s Greg McElroy doesn’t think that the Big Ten adds any more teams from the West Coast.

The Big Ten isn’t done, not yet. After adding Maryland and Rutgers in 2014 and then getting ready to expand with UCLA and USC next year, the Big Ten might be making moves.

And their next move? Might be back to the East Coast for the Big Ten.

That is the belief of Greg McElroy, and ESPN analyst who discussed the intentions of the Big Ten in his recent ‘Always College Football‘ podcast. McElroy

With news this week that Oregon and Washington have been vetted for the next round of Big Ten expansion – date yet to be determined – McElroy says his sources think the conference next looks at the ACC for expansion. Given the unstable situation in the ACC, McElroy believes that the conference is ripe for the plucking.

And the former NFL quarterback, who won a national championship in college with Alabama, believes that the Big Ten would rather go after some targets on the East Coast rather than continue to pounce on the Pac-12.

“Then you look at the Big Ten: North Carolina, Virginia – tremendous academic institutions, they would feel like a very natural fit,” McElroy said on ‘Always College Football.’

“But at the same time – there’s a lot of other schools right now that I think would be advantageous to the Big Ten’s further expansion. We’ve already heard about Washington and Oregon being vetted and being cleared as potential candidates in the event in which the Big Ten wants to expand.

“But is the Big Ten really going to benefit by expanding into the Pacific Northwest perhaps down the road? According to sources that I talked to, the Big Ten would actually feel better about the possibility of expanding down the eastern seaboard. That’s why I think Florida State, Miami, Clemson, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia…and those are the schools that I  think would be more likely at this point to align with the Big Ten than they would the SEC.”

To McElroy’s point, were the Big Ten to expand to include Oregon and Washington, they would essentially lock up the West Coast. Adding a Stanford or Cal (Berkeley) would not necessarily add more in terms of television sets if the local cable companies already picked up the Big Ten Network for USC and UCLA, for instance.

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And Oregon State and Washington State would be redundant markets as well.

Perhaps the only universities that could add to the Big Ten footprint in a positive way would be Arizona and Utah.

But neither would have the same impact as adding national brands such as Florida State, Miami and North Carolina for instance. Virginia would make sense as well in terms of market added as well as geography.

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10 teams that could make moves in college expansion

These 10 teams could be the top candidates for more expansion/realignment in college athletics.

Who doesn’t love the idea of college expansion?

In 2023 and 2024, the collegiate game will look different. After the moves of the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns to the SEC, the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins to the Big Ten in 2024.

The Big 12 countered with the additions of the BYU Cougars, Central Florida Knights, Cincinnati Bearcats, and Houston Cougars for the 2023 season. We are still waiting to see what moves the Pac-12 will make.

The conference was raided of both Los Angeles-area schools and at one point it seemed like the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies could be next. The SEC and Big Ten will be at 16 teams each by the time 2024 kicks off with ACC at 14, Big 12 at 12, and the Pac-12 at 10.

We look at 10 schools that could be on the move next if expansion and realignment continue.

Texas, Oklahoma to SEC in 2024, USC, UCLA to Big Ten. What’s Next For Expansion? Daily Cavalcade

Texas and Oklahoma are off to the SEC in 2024, and USC and UCLA are set to go to the Big Ten. So what’s next for college expansion?

It’s official. Texas and Oklahoma are off to the SEC in 2024, and USC and UCLA are off to the Big Ten. What’s next for college expansion?


Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC in 2024, USC and UCLA to the Big Ten. What’s Next?

Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

I still haven’t received the $100 million exit fee from Texas and Oklahoma to leave this column in 2024.

2023 College Football Rankings 1-133 First Look

Oh big deal. Like you watched the random Big 12 matchup when Texas or Oklahoma played, say, Baylor, and you don’t even know the Pac-12 Network exists.

USC and UCLA are going to be in the Big Ten in 2024?

Texas and Oklahoma are going to be in the SEC in 2024?

Great. Let’s do this already. Let’s get this party started.

I still don’t get how Texas and the Big Ten didn’t pop open a few beers, sit down, and figure it all out, but now it’s official. The Pac-12 and Big 12 are losing the anchor tenants at their respective malls.

In the new world of an expanded College Football Playoff that’s coming, the moves make sense. Progress is okay, and in this case, it’s all going to work great with the timing.

Do I think Texas will win the SEC Championship any time in the near future? Not really. That goes for Oklahoma, too. Whatever.

Either one could finish in the top 11 in the final 2024 College Football Playoff top 25 – the expanded CFP will take the top 12 ranked teams, but one of those will be a Group of Five champ that will probably be ranked outside of the top 12.

That goes for USC and UCLA with the Big Ten – just finish in the top 11, and football-wise and you’re all set.

All of them are all set in terms of revenue and even more explosion. And as I keep telling everyone over and over and over again, it’s going to be okay.

But the travel!

Whatever. The Big Ten teams get on a plane, take a nap, watch a movie, and they’re in LA. We should all be so lucky.

But the tradition!

Oklahoma was a Big 8 team in 1995 before the expansion to what eventually became the Big 12, and Texas was in the Southwest Conference until 1996.

USC and UCLA used to play in the Pac-10. Before that it was the Pac-8. And before that they were a part of the unfortunately-named American Association of Western Universities until 1968.

And everyone was fine. Everyone is going to be fine. It will take you 30 seconds after the ball gets kicked off to adjust.

What’s Next For College Expansion?

GAME … ON.

The Pac-12 has to do something fast, the Big 12 is circling the area looking to pick off more schools, and the Big Ten and SEC and drop the hammer and get just about anyone they really want at any time.

San Diego State. Get ready to be Southern California’s Pac-12 representation.

SMU. I honestly don’t understand why the Pac-12 is pitching so much woo to you – enrollment too small, it’s not like it’s a gateway school to landing more Texas-based teams – but apparently that’s about to be a thing.

UNLV should’ve been a Pac-12 school yesterday, and the Big 12 would be brilliant to go in and totally screw up the Pac-12 by getting there first.

All’s quiet on the Arizona and Arizona State front, but they’re well past ripe for the picking if the Pac-12 doesn’t lock down its media deal fast.

I’m screaming expansion malpractice on the SEC for not following the Big Ten’s move to the coast and not at least floating a three-bus sized public relations rumor about being interested in Oregon and Washington. (And that goes for the Big Ten, too, but it’s better at doing its thing in stealth mode.)

The Big 12 is insane for not grabbing USF to go along with the acquisition of UCF.

The Big Ten is even crazier for not getting Kansas already. And Colorado.

The SEC is nuts for not ponying up some of its cash to pay off whatever is needed for Clemson and/or Florida State to get out of their ACC deal.

That goes triple for North Carolina. That’s the one. That’s the dream of a whale everyone would love to land.

And then there’s the ACC. It had better find a way to put a ring on it and end this friends with benefits thing with Notre Dame as soon as possible, because once the lawyers and money men from other conferences figure out a way to pry the league’s members from the Grant of Rights deal …

But that’s what the rest of the offseason is for. For now, Texas and Oklahoma are going to be in the SEC after this season, and USC and UCLA are going to be in the Big Ten.

And you’re going to have fun watching it all. Really.

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College Football Playoff Expanding To 12: It Will All Be Fine. Really.

College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams. This is why it’s a good thing.

The College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams in the near future. It’s going to be a positive thing for college football. Really.


Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

By around 2024 it’s going to be the 13th-best take in a 12-take world.

College football is giving us more meaningful football, and some don’t want it

Really, was that so hard?

The College Football Playoff Board of Managers have approved a 12-team expanded College Football Playoff that could start as early as 2024, but will most likely kick in around 2026 – contract issues, logistics, and a slew of other parts of the puzzle have to be put together to make this happen earlier than later.

When this is a go, the CFP will be made up of the six highest-ranked conference champions and six at-large teams. The first round will be played on the college campuses, and then it gets turned over to the bowl locations.

Yes, it’s for the money – as are all major sports – and yes, it’s about catering to the expanded monster conferences. The college presidents and athletic directors finally figured out there’s a nice, warm treasure bath waiting with lots of bubbles.

Of course, like everything, there will be those who shake their fists and get all weird because something fun might change and be more fun, but outside of “because,” they don’t have any real argument.

Expansion is a good thing. Really.

Start with this – there’s going to be a way for teams to play their way into the College Football Playoff.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you win all your games in the Power Five and you’re in, but that’s not a given, and that’s not the right way to look at it.

There will be debates in the future about who that 12th team should be, but that’s fine. We won’t have to get into it about the fifth, sixth, and seventh best teams – at least the theoretical ones determined on a belief.

2020 Texas A&M had to play Alabama. Notre Dame didn’t, but it beat Clemson once before getting throttled in the ACC Championship rematch. Both the Aggies and Irish deserved to be in the CFP, but one had to be left out. That was a silly debate that should’ve been unnecessary.

Cincinnati and Oklahoma State and Utah all should’ve had a shot in some sort of a playoff system after the 2021 season. TCU should’ve been in the playoff after the 2014 campaign – and Baylor should have, too – but not everyone could squeeze into the four team format.

Was it fair that some teams – 2021 Georgia, 2017 Alabama, 2016 Ohio State – got to the College Football Playoff without being good enough to win their respective conference championships? Not really, but that won’t matter with an expanded CFP – they can get in, but that doesn’t mean teams that earned it will be left out. That leads to the best part about all of this.

The importance of the panel of judges is lessened.

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This is the part I truly don’t understand from the anti-expansion types. Why do you want any aspect of the championship determined by an opinion?

The College Football Playoff committee is fine, but these are important people with lives, and things to do, and families that love them. They know the sport, but they don’t know the entire landscape of college football from the rooter to the tooter.

Expand the playoff, win your conference championship with a good record in a great league, and you’re good. There – take it out of the hands of the judges. You control your own fate.

That’s going to make the season more fun.

Think about it. How much more awesome would the Baylor goal line stop against Oklahoma State have been in the Big 12 Championship if that was for a playoff spot?

How much more fun would the Pac-12 Championship have been if the Utah fan base got to have an even bigger party?

And what about the ACC Championship? It’s possible someone outside of friends and family would’ve watched Pitt vs Wake Forest last year.

More fan bases will be involved, more teams will have something big to shoot for, and there’s going to be more interest in college football overall.

Does that mean a Boise State or a No. 3 Big Ten team will take down Alabama in the playoff? Probably not, but that’s not the point.

Did UCF really think it could’ve or would’ve won the national title in 2017 or 2018? I don’t know, and neither did those Knight teams that just wanted a shot.

It sucks more for a team to not get a chance because the judges went in a different direction than it does to get trucked by the Tide. All everyone wants is the opportunity, and now it’s coming.

No, College Football Playoff expansion deniers, this won’t lessen the importance of the regular season. It’s going to be much, much harder than it seems to get into the CFP – this isn’t the NCAA Tournament or the NHL or NBA playoffs.

No, this won’t make for a worse playoff. You can’t get hot from three for a weekend and end up close to the Final Four.

Ask yourself this – where has there been any sort of a flukish loss in the CFP so far? Of course there will be some sort of a crazy upset somewhere when this expands, but if you can win two or more games in this tournament, you’re for real.

In the near future, every team will know in the offseason that the College Football Playoff is a real possibility, and not just a silly slogan put on a t-shirt.

Every fan base whose team is having a good season will be more engaged.

December will be more fun, the College Football Playoff will be more fun, and the sport will be more fun.

The College Football Playoff is expanding. It’s going to be okay.

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College Football Playoff to expand to 12 teams in 2026

Big changes are coming to College Football!!

Yesterday we reported on the possibility of the College Football Playoff expanding from the current four-team model to a 12-team format. The model we reported on yesterday will be the official setup once the new 12-team playoff goes into effect. Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated reported on the new structure.

 “In the model, the six highest-ranked conference champions receive an automatic berth while the next six highest-ranked teams get at-large bids into the field. The four highest-ranked conference champions get a first-round bye. First rounds are played on campus while quarterfinals and semifinals are hosted by a rotation of six bowls.”

There had initially been talk of expanding as early as 2024, but now 2026 will be the new target date. The 2024 date caused multiple problems for the CFP managers and its partners, as the number of games would triple with only about two years of lead time to figure out the logistics. There would also be the issue of TV rights, as ESPN holds those rights for the ’24 and ’25 playoffs. How would those rights deals be effected after expansion?

If you’re wondering about my thoughts on this expansion, I’ve attached an article from our colleague Nick Shepkowski as Fighting Irish Wire that will explain my thoughts. But, in short, I can’t stand it. A four-team playoff meant something, and now with 12-teams and automatic qualifiers, it just feels like an extension of professional sports. I always liked that college football did things differently, but with the amount of money from TV networks and sponsors, it’s easy to see why they embraced expansion. That doesn’t mean I endorse the idea but sports at the professional and collegiate record are finding new ways to bring in big money. College football is big business and the playoff is no exception.

The definitive, final, ‘show me the money’ top 25 future Big Ten expansion candidates

If the Big Ten expands again in the future, this is the list of teams and the rankings that Big Ten brass should operate from.

Enough talk about who fits in academically with the Big Ten through their Association of American Universities ranking. Let’s get down to brass tax. Who can Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren add that increases everyone’s bottom line?

Let’s end the charade. That’s what all of this expansion business is about anyways. Warren and others can act like it’s about respected research universities, but this is about dollars and cents. It’s why he convinced Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff that they were on the same team, and then turned around and poached his league’s two biggest assets.

For the most part, this isn’t about regional fits anymore. USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten in 2024 shows us that. Now, adding a dance partner or two for the Trojans and Bruins makes sense, but only if it enhances the league members’ per-school payouts.

So, what should the top 25 big board of future Big Ten expansion candidates look like? Feel free to reference this list as needed Mr. Warren. It’s the “Show Me the Money” rankings. If your school isn’t on this list, sorry, you’re not joining the Big Ten conference now or in the future.

For our friends over in Ames, Iowa, save your time. Iowa State isn’t joining the Big Ten and, in fact, they’re not in the top 25 pool of candidates either. This is about TV ratings and expanding market shares. The Cyclones don’t add anything that the Big Ten doesn’t already have with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Every program is fair game so long as they aren’t already in the Big Ten or SEC.Without further ado, here’s the official, no-need-to-look-anywhere else top 25 future Big Ten expansion candidates.

‘It’s a sign of the times’: Kirk Ferentz shares thoughts on the Big Ten’s USC, UCLA additions

Iowa Hawkeyes head football coach Kirk Ferentz said “it’s a sign of the times” that the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins are joining the Big Ten.

As Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz was meeting with the media discussing the brand new Iowa Swarm Collective, the topic of Big Ten expansion naturally came up.

With Hawk Central and other Iowa reporters in attendance, Ferentz dove into his thoughts on the Big Ten adding both the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins beginning with the 2024-25 college athletics season.

“Yeah, it’s a sign of the times. Just it’s one more reminder that tradition, the sense or concept of tradition is kind of getting minimalized I think in college athletics. Pretty much everything’s driven by TV. There are a lot of things I can’t tell you after 23 years. How the NCAA works, all that stuff. One thing I have observed is if TV wants something, it’s probably going to happen. I’m not saying TV encouraged this. I’m just suggesting that there’s some certainly, I’m sure that’s part on the minds of the people who joined the conference, but it puts us in a better, stronger position,” Ferentz said.

Again, as Ferentz stood and discussed what this new Iowa Swarm Collective would mean for his program going forward, the conversation circled back into USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten.

“It’s really not a matter of do we like this or did we want this? It’s just a matter of that’s a reality of college football, college athletics. Just like it’s a reality that USC and UCLA are going to be in the Big Ten in two years, so whether you like that, whatever your opinion may be, the bigger picture is it’s going to be. It’s just part of the times that we’re navigating through right now,” Ferentz said of Iowa Swarm Collective and USC and UCLA joining the league.

Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery was in attendance for the Iowa Swarm Collective announcement as well and shared his thoughts on USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten.

“Obviously, a credit to Kevin Warren for getting two of the most prestigious programs in the country to come to our league. I think anything that benefits the league is a good thing,” McCaffery said of the pair joining.

He didn’t seem too concerned with future setups of the Big Ten Tournament either.

“You know, I think there’s always a solution you can find for any situation like that. You know, we can make it work, scheduling wise,” McCaffery said.

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Big 12 and Pac-12 Realignment Merger Isn’t Happening. Now What? Daily Cavalcade

What’s next for the Big 12 and Pac-12 after they decided not merge and combine forces?

The Big 12 and Pac-12 won’t merge forces to combat all that’s happening in the realignment and expansion world. Now what for these two conferences?


Daily Cavalcade of Whimsy

Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

My best points were lifted by the Big Ten and now the Big 12 is open for business with my mid-level opinions.

2022 CFN College Football Preview of Every Team

May you all have a day full of the swagger the Big 12 is walking with right now

It was revealed on Monday night that the Pac-12 and Big 12 won’t be sharing their toys with one another.

The friendship probably would’ve been an overall plus for both, but goes against the current cutthroat expansion and realignment climate – they both think they can do more on their own, at least the Big 12 does.

The harsh reality is that the Pac-12 and Big 12 could combine forces, add other schools, resources, Megan Thee Stallion, and Season 5 of Stranger Things and still not come close to getting the attention paid to the Big Ten and SEC, but that’s not fair. These two can – and will – do just fine for themselves depending on what happens next.

Why couldn’t the Big 12 and Pac-12 form an alliance – a real one, and not the fake détente the Pac-12 had with the Big Ten and ACC?

Here’s the problem – or the positive, depending on which side you’re on – now that these two will likely try to poach the other’s territory: the Big 12 is in a position of power.

Which Big 12 schools make sense for the Pac-12?

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From an academic prestige standpoint – Tier 1 research status is the baseline, but the big conferences really want those with an AAU membership – along with potential markets and overall branding, Kansas makes a whole lot of sense, and that’s even a stretch. That’s about it, and there’s a reason.

Of course the Big 12 has solid academic institutions, far better football fan bases who actually watch and care about the sport, and decent enough markets to consider, but when it comes to branding and fit, do any of its members on their own change the Pac-12 dynamic? Not really.

Replacing USC with, say, TCU won’t move the needle enough to matter for the Pac-12.

And on the flip side, which Pac-12 schools make sense for the Big 12?

All of them, because the league already has its solid base in place without the Pac-12’s fear of being poached by the Big Ten.

Remember, this is about markets, and footprints, and expanding and improving the brand.

Are Oregon State and Washington State two superstar options in the expansion discussion? No, but both of them would open up new areas for the Big 12.

Does anyone in San Francisco care about Cal or Stanford football? Not really – I’m being nice about this – but the Bay Area is a massive market with a whole lot of alumni from other schools. The academic side of things matters with the presidents, alumni, and donor bases – Cal and Stanford work in a Rutgers-to-Big-Ten sort of way. No way those two go to the Big 12, but the Big Ten?

Remember, the Pac-12 has the University OF Oregon. The University OF Washington. The University OF Arizona. The University OF Utah. The University OF California. The University OF Colorado. There’s a prestige in having a state’s flagship school.

Not dogging the Big 12 schools in any way – the Big 12 has the University OF Kansas and the University OF West Virginia, but it doesn’t have the University of Utah, or the University of Iowa, or the University of Oklahoma, or the University of Texas.

That’s hardly the end of the world when it comes to the business side of expansion, but for a Pac-12 Conference that always had its own niche, it’s an ego hit to not have any “University OF” schools to bring aboard. It’s also a killer that it can’t go grab any monsters to replace what it lost – other than Notre Dame in a dream world, but that’s for a different day.

On the flip side, the Big 12 is far more likely to flip Colorado, Utah, Arizona State, and Arizona than the Pac-12 is at getting, say, Iowa State and Oklahoma State, who make a ton of sense but aren’t going to bail for the Pac-12 brand in the current situation.

Again, the Big 12 has the upper-hand here.

It’s got the improved TV contract likely coming. It landed huge schools with good markets in Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF, and it has an underappreciated gem in this whole process with BYU and its international fan base.

I still say the Big 12 should be all over USF, and beat the Pac-12 to the punch on San Diego State and UNLV, but it’s clearly thinking big. It wants Pac-12 schools and it might just be able to get them.

So now, the Pac-12 has to D up big-time.

It has to come up with something fast to put in front of its remaining member schools to show there’s still life without USC and UCLA.

There has to be proof of a better media deal and more positive things on the horizon. It doesn’t have to be massive, but it has to be something to make it look like there’s a future.

Copy what the Big 12 just did and go get big schools that make sense – and bite the bullet on the whole Tier 1 thing, for now. SDSU, UNLV, and Fresno State or Boise State don’t make up for losing USC and UCLA, but it evens the playing field a bit with the Big 12 after its recent moves.

Again, do something.

So what’s going to happen?

I could be very, very wrong here, and it could all blow up by the time you’re done reading this sentence, but my best guess is that everything chills out for a while.

The next move – if any – will probably be from the Big Ten, but it doesn’t mean everyone won’t be spending the next several weeks and months trying to put deals together.

Remember, the Big 12 was supposedly dead around this time last year – I’m old enough to remember when the American Athletic Conference was supposedly going to poach the Big 12, not the other way around – and no, the Pac-12 probably isn’t the new Southwest Conference, Big East, or WAC.

No, this merger didn’t work, but that’s okay – it’ll be more fun for the rest of us.

This Big 12 vs. Pac-12 business battle is about to get spicy.

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2022 College Football Schedules: All 131 Teams