Tag: College Realignment

Big 12 adds three more schools to the conference

Big 12 officially moves to 16 teams with three more additions.

Following the announcement of the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies were heading to the Big Ten, the Big 12 made their move.

One of the worst-kept secrets over the last several months involved the Big 12 coveting the four corner schools. Once Colorado, Oregon, and Washington announced their new destinations, it was a matter of time before we saw the remaining corner schools follow suit.

On Friday evening, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yorkmark released a statement welcoming the three newest schools to the conference. They will begin play in the conference in 2024.

“We are thrilled to welcome Arizona, Arizona State and Utah to the Big 12,” said Commissioner Brett Yormark. “The Conference is gaining three premier institutions both academically and athletically, and the entire Big 12 looks forward to working alongside their presidents, athletic directors, student-athletes and administrators.”

With the latest moves in conference realignment, the Big 12 joins the Big Ten and SEC as the only conferences with 16 teams. The ACC currently sits at 14 teams, while the Pac-12 is now the Pac-4. California, Oregon State, Stanford, and Washington State are the only remaining members.

New Look Big 12 for the 2024-25 seasons:

Arizona Kansas
Arizona State Kansas State
Baylor Oklahoma State
BYU TCU
Cincinnati Texas Tech
Colorado UCF
Houston Utah
Iowa State West Virginia

Bold teams were original members, we included Colorado who joined the Big 12 as an original member before leaving for the Pac-12 in 2011.

Connecticut and Gonzaga were two schools rumored to be in consideration to join the conference. If they were to be added for basketball only, that would make the Big 12 the most elite basketball conference in the nation.

Those discussions will likely come down the road, for now, it appears this round of realignment can finally be put to rest. We hope that is the case.

College Realignment: San Diego State gives resignation notice to MWC

San Diego State is one step closer to leaving the Mountain West Conference.

According to a report from Pete Thamel of ESPN, San Diego State has given the Mountain West Conference a notice that the university “intends to resign from the Mountain West Conference.”

However, in the same notice, the university asked for a one-month extension due to “unforeseen delays involving other collegiate athletic conferences beyond our control.”

San Diego State’s departure from the conference has been a work in progress now for quite some time. Last month, in an article from Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated, it was reported that San Diego State would be a “shoe-in” to join the Pac-12.

Chris Vannini of The Athletic would later report on Twitter that the “buyout to leave the league for fall 2024 doubles to almost $34 million on July 1”. Vannini also points out that the Pac-12 television deal not yet being completed is causing delays in San Diego State’s move to the conference.

The move for the Pac-12 comes a year ahead of the departure of UCLA and USC to the Big Ten. Following their departures, the conference is only expected at the current standpoint to have 10 teams.

San Diego State’s potential move to the Pac-12 could very well also be the first of what could be another run of conference realignment around the country.

There has also been discussion of programs such as Arizona, Arizona State, and Colorado as potential universities leaving the Pac-12 that could be looking to change conferences as well. The ACC has also been of popular conversation lately with the future of many of the conference’s universities being up for debate.