The Big 12 Expansion is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas. It comprises ten full-member universities and is part of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The conference has been around for over a century and has played an essential role in developing college sports.
Big 12 Expansion North Texas
North Texas is a good candidate for Big 12 expansion. The university has already won two C-USA championships in the last three seasons. Additionally, the school has opened a new stadium in the past few years and has a growing academic presence. As a result, it is considered one of the favorites to join the league. In addition, it is located in a primary college football market. Moreover, it would help the school if its new stadium were part of the significant expansion.
Another possibility is that the Big 12 would split its teams into two divisions–east and west. That would allow the conference to keep its charter members and add four new teams. This would allow the league more flexibility in negotiating exit fees and other terms. The commissioners must decide which solution is best for the conference once they have added four new teams.
The decision to expand is historic and represents tremendous growth in athletics and academics. The move is essential as two big schools recently announced they would leave the conference for the SEC in 2025. The two schools’ withdrawal would have reduced the Big 12’s membership to eight schools. However, with the addition of the University of Houston and the University of West Virginia, the Big 12 will now have 14 schools.
The big 12 expansion plan aims to add four new schools to the Big 12. The big 12 expansion plan is a way to add schools from other conferences. The addition of North Texas will help the Big 12 expand geographically. By 2023, it would have a footprint from Northern Texas to Southern California.
Cincinnati
According to reports, Cincinnati is on the list of schools that could become part of the Big 12 in the next few years. Prominent 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has said he wants to add a team from out of the country with national recognition. Cincinnati is one of four schools that could join in 2023. Other possible candidates include BYU and Houston.
Currently, the Big 12 has 12-member schools. The four new teams would be part of an expansion that would bring in six additional teams. As a result, the Big 12 would include 14 teams within two years. The big 12 expansion would also add three teams from the AAC and BYU football.
After receiving an offer from the Big 12, Cincinnati and Houston will join the conference on July 1, 2023. For the four new members to join the Big 12, the AAC and the Big 12 would have to negotiate an agreement. Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF will have to give the Big 12 27 months’ notice before joining. Cincinnati will have to pay a $10 million exit fee if they choose to leave the conference early.
Cincinnati has a history of success in the NCAA Division I and is currently ranked seventh in the AP poll. Central Florida, a former member of the WAC, is home to more than 70,000 students and a nationally renowned football program. BYU has a considerable following that goes well beyond the state of Florida. Houston is the fourth-largest city in the country and will keep four Texas teams in the league after the Longhorns leave.
The Big 12 expansion will bring Texas and Oklahoma from the American Athletic Conference, making the conference 14 teams. Additionally, Cincinnati, Houston, and Central Florida will join the conference in 2023. The decision to expand is a significant step forward for the conference.
Central Florida
There are a few reasons that the University of Central Florida should be part of the Big 12. Central Florida has an intense basketball and football program. Its location is also advantageous in terms of business – it is home to FedEx. If the Big 12 wants to expand, Memphis and Central Florida will make good choices. While other possible locations include BYU and Houston, Central Florida makes the most sense. The conference’s future remains in flux, however.
The Knights’ unbeaten season is one reason for the Big 12 to consider Central Florida. The Knights are the only unbeaten team in major college football this season. The Big 12 is currently in need of more members to stay intact. UCF is often mentioned when considering big 12 expansion, but there are other reasons to join.
UCF is one of the largest universities in the nation and has rich recruiting land in the sunshine state. The football program is making noise this season after beating Boise State. The Orlando television market is the largest without an NFL team, and Central Florida’s academics meet Big 12 standards.
Adding Central Florida to the Big 12 expansion is a smart move for the Big 12 because the league will be more competitive in terms of revenue. The Big 12 pays teams more than ten times what Mountain West teams make. In addition, Big 12 teams are worth over $3 million per year. In addition to UCF, other new additions to the league include Cincinnati, Houston, and BYU.
The addition of Central Florida makes the Big 12 a ten-team conference. However, the league has lost a few teams, including Texas and Oklahoma, which announced earlier this year that they were leaving for the SEC by 2025. This could lead to a temporary 14-team league.
Cincinnati and Houston
The Big 12 has announced plans to expand its conference by adding a fourth team in 2023. Cincinnati, Houston, and BYU are among the cities interested in joining. These four teams are all located in the western part of the country. As a result, they will add a new dimension to the conference’s identity.
The two cities have plenty to offer college football fans. The city’s craft beer scene is well known, and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens are consistently ranked among the best in the country. The Houston Rockets just went to the Final Four, giving the city instant credibility and value.
Cincinnati and Houston are the two most likely expansion cities for the Big 12. While there are several other potential cities, the Big 12 is most likely to add UCF, Memphis, Texas, and Houston. The decision to expand is likely based on the success of each school’s men’s basketball and football programs. The Athletic reported on BYU, Houston, and Cincinnati as potential expansion cities.
Cincinnati and Houston will receive about $26 million in annual revenue from the Big 12. In addition to Cincinnati and Houston, the early-exit fee could pay for itself in year one, and it could even turn into pure profit in year two. Meanwhile, six Conference USA teams are planning to join the AAC, and three C-USA teams are heading to the Sun Belt.
The Big 12 could face a numbers problem in the next few years. In the past month, athletic directors from the Big 12 schools met in Las Vegas to discuss plans for a two-division conference with seven teams in each division. However, Texas and Oklahoma will appear to remain in the league through 2025.
Brigham Young
Brigham Young University (BYU) and the Big 12 are significant factors in the college basketball landscape. The BYU administration believes the college is well-positioned to expand into the conference. A possible big 12 expansion would add Arizona State, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington, and Oregon State to the Big 12.
Big 12 athletic directors met in Dallas on back-to-back days earlier this week. Some of them are worried about the impact on the conference’s media-rights revenue. Others worry that the Cougars would not fit in with the other Big 12 schools. Some say that adding BYU and UCF would be a mistake. But that doesn’t mean that the Big 12 should reject the Cougars.
The Big 12 already has 14 members and may expand to 16 by 2023. The teams are spread across eight states and three time zones. For example, the campus of Central Florida in Orlando is nearly 2,300 miles from the BYU campus in Provo, Utah. West Virginia will average 1,100 miles each way for conference games. They’ll also have shorter trips for Texas-based opponents.
The new Big 12 will have roughly 200,000 students. Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF will join the conference in 2023. BYU has a national sports brand with a rich history. In addition, it’s a robust national football program. And Cincinnati has a solid basketball pedigree. With all these players, the Big 12 should be a strong contender in the college football world.
After Texas and Oklahoma announced their plans to leave, the Big 12 had two main options: to expand or to collapse. The decision to expand was unanimous among the remaining eight members. The big 12 expansion included UCF, Cincinnati, BYU, and Houston.
Also read: Max Mayfield: Stranger Things best Characters
