Big 12 will consider expanding membership, according to report
Connor Tapp - Feb 2, 1:07 PM 8
During its conference meetings this week in Irving, Texas, the Big 12 is expected to consider expanding its membership to 12 teams, according to a report by The Sporting News. Potential expansion targets include BYU, UConn, Cincinnati, Central Florida, and South Florida.
BYU's large football program and alumni base make it the most attractive option, but the school's refusal to let athletes compete on Sundays creates a scheduling nightmare for the non-football sports. Though neither have especially large football followings, adding UConn and Cincinnatti would help connect West Virginia with the rest of the conference while even further strengthening the quality of the conference's basketball offerings. Or the conference could add USF and UCF to establish a foothold in the Sunshine State.
Of course, there are more than a few schools in the conference who would rather see the conference stand pat with its current membership of 10. A rule change in Jan. 2016 made it so that having just ten members won't keep the Big 12 from having a conference championship game in football, but it does have an opportunity to grow its potential TV inventory by expanding into the North- or Southeast.
There could be more dire consequences to not expanding, though. Last month, Oklahoma president David Boren resurrected the Sooners' threat to leave the conference if the Big 12 doesn't make moves to get itself on level footing with the SEC, Big Ten, and Pac-12.