Big 12 Getting Desperate After Pac-12 Vetoes Expansion
The Big 12 conference is expected to add four teams to their league, following Texas and Oklahoma's announced departure for the SEC in 2025. According to reports, interest in adding BYU, Houston, Cincinnati and UCF is high.
The four teams could join the league by 2023 or 2024 latest.
"The timeline is fluid and has been described as optimistic, but not unrealistic," Sports Illustrated writes. "Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby has even gone on site visits, most recently taking a trip to meet with Houston officials on Thursday."
UCF, Houston and Cincinnati are all members of the American Athletic Conference. If a departure is made, the schools will need to pay a $10 million exit penalty. BYU football is not a member of any conference, but will need to give the West Coast Conference notice for its other sports.
USA TODAY
The Pac-12 announced their stance on expansion on August 26, which was spearheaded by new commissioner George Kliavkoff.
"Following consultation with our Presidents, Chancellors and Athletic Directors, the Pac-12 Conference has made the decision to not pursue expansion of our membership at this time. This decision was made following extensive internal discussion and analysis, and is based on the current competitive strength and cohesiveness of our 12 universities. It is also grounded in our confidence in our ability as a conference to best support our student-athletes and to grow and thrive both academically and athletically."
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