ESPN's Pete Thamel Ponders if Cincinnati Will Switch Conferences Again

The Bearcats just switched from the AAC to the Big 12.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Updated:
Jul 18, 2022 9:20 AM EDT

In this story:

CINCINNATI — It's all quiet on the western realignment front in college sports, but ESPN's Pete Thamel isn't convinced things are done. The writer mentioned UC could be in the sights of the ACC if it decides to pursue a western pocket of teams to add to the league.

"The Pac-12 schools in prime markets are the obvious ACC target," Thamel wrote. "As it's unlikely any TV entity is going to come in and bid high on the league now that they are vulnerable and lack the Los Angeles market. (Adding San Diego State and Boise State, which both seem like obvious choices, still doesn't move the financial needle.)

"Whatever financial estimates the Pac-12 schools get amid their current open negotiating window will inevitably underwhelm. Does that allow the ACC to make a targeted strike to take the best available from the Pac-12 -- Oregon, Washington, Stanford, and California -- and then take either two or four others? Those could be either two or all of these -- Arizona State, Colorado, TCU, Cincinnati -- to form a Western wing of the league."

This would be a crazy move for UC to bail on the Big 12 so quickly after getting accepted. Loop in the fact that the ACC is locked into its television deal until 2036 and it makes even less sense. Yet, in today's college sports climate not many things can get ruled out.

As of now, Cincinnati is starting its Big 12 tenure on July 1, 2023.

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