With the Big 12 no longer talking about a conference network, that foot in the NY and Boston television markets might not be as appealing.
Advertisement
So despite the overwhelming opinion that conference expansion had stalled due to the lack of interest in a network from its broadcast partners, it is now likely the conference will be growing after all. Yes, “conference realignment” is back.
For years, the Big 12 Conference played prevent defense when it came to its existence, as in preventing its demise.
Multiple Big 12 sources indicated that Cincinnati and CT top the Big 12’s “fluid”, so-called “wish list”, but Oklahoma president David Boren noted that the Big 12 is still open to expanding by two or four teams.
“We want to do everything possible to put this conference in a position to play for national championships”, Boren said. In reality, though, that’s just semantics.
The Minutemen’s best-case scenario would be if the Big 12 added four teams, including at least three from the AAC if UConn wasn’t one of them.
BYU could also be invited as a football-only member.
Cincinnati – The school has just expanded and upgraded old Nippert Stadium, which now seats about 40,000. But the tenor around that has all changed. On June 22, the Big 12 issued a public statement demanding specifics of Baylor’s sexual assault investigations, including the full Pepper Hamilton report, and made a point of noting that this was the second time the conference had to ask. The current television contracts with ESPN and FOX run through 2025. While BYU has always been rumored to be the leading candidate, Houston comes in as a little bit of a surprise being as though they reside in Texas lending even more recruiting competition to the likes of Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, and Baylor. If the league does add four schools, there’s really no standout candidate for that fourth slot.
With its football program homeless, any rumblings of conference shifting is good news for UMass. It also gives Big 12 leaders plenty of time to change their minds again. Now conference leadership will be meeting with schools.
Boren said the Big 12 also wants to evaluate how expansion could help its teams reach the College Football Playoff and stablize the conference.
However, per Carlton, Bowlsby did make sure to note that the conference will not be distributing finances evenly for the new programs immediately: “There isn’t any question there will be a phase-in from a revenue distribution standpoint”.
Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen said his school is “prepared to take action when opportunities to increase the level of positive attention and exposure for our city, campus and athletic department are presented”.
“I’m not here to make a lot of changes”, he said.
The Big 12’s interest in Tulane is less clear. The schools are going to come running to their doorstep, pleading to join for a discount price.
It is unlikely that this really means anything since members of the Big 12’s board of directors are the ones ultimately making the final decisions on conference expansion, not the coaches.
People used the year before, when Baylor and TCU were left on the doorstep of playing for the national championship, as proof that the Big 12 needed its own championship game. It’s likely that the incoming schools will be so anxious to join a Power 5 league that they’d take a lower share for the long-term benefit. They aren’t that close to the rest of the Big 12 in location, but they’re close enough. But don’t let the expansion jargon and coded wording fool you.
How did the ACC announcement on Monday affect the Big 12 presidents’ vote?
That’s a gamble. Betting that the Big 12 will pull up a program, particularly in football.
Advertisement
The expansion frenzy has returned.
