Report: Big 12 Conference Set to Welcome Houston, Cincinnati & UCF For 2023-2024
On Wednesday, CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein reported that the Big 12 is set to welcome Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF in the 2023-24 academic year.
The report suggests that BYU, which has already announced its departure from the WCC, will join the conference for the 2023-24 academic year in every sport except for men's volleyball.
Before hopping in on the action, the teams must jump through a few hurdles according to Rothstein:
“AAC bylaws require programs who are members of the conference to give a 27-month notice before they leave and pay a $10 million buyout fee.”
USA Today Sports
AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco told ESPN last September that he would be willing to negotiate a higher exit fee for Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF if they were to depart from the AAC at an earlier date than originally anticipated. All three schools will join the Big 12 no later than July 1st, 2024.”
Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger added to Rothstein’s report on Twitter, suggesting that “the expectation” is that “negotiations are expected to be finalized in the next week.”
What does this mean for Texas?
As it currently stands, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners are set to leave the Big 12 to join the SEC in the 2025-26 academic year. Before that, the conference would theoretically have 14 teams, which begs some questions.
While a normal college football season typically consists of 12 regular-season games (with eight or nine conference games), a 14-team conference might complicate things. It's safe to say that the Big 12 conference has plenty of work to do in the near future.
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