Big 12 likely expanding to 12-14 teams
By John Buhler
The Big 12 has gone back and forth on expansion, but now the conference is likely to expand to 12-14 teams.
As it is currently constructed, the Big 12 is the smallest of the Power 5 football conferences with only 10 member institutions. While the Big 12 has gotten the go-ahead from the NCAA to host a conference championship sans divisions (i.e. 12+ teams), it seems expansion in the Big 12 is inevitable.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel, the biggest news to come about from the Big 12 presidential meeting on Tuesday “is that expansion is likely…by at least two schools…possibly four.”
Some of the schools being thrown around for possible Big 12 invitations include Houston, Boise State, BYU, Cincinnati, Memphis and Colorado State.
The Big 12 added West Virginia and TCU in 2012 after losing the Nebraska Cornhuskers to the Big Ten, the Colorado Buffaloes to the Pac-12 and the Missouri Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies to the SEC.
Any of the six potential universities mentioned as potential candidates to join the Big 12 would be valuable in regard to both media markets and football prowess. While Houston seems like a logical fit in terms of proximity and football history, would the Big 12’s four other Texas schools (Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, and Baylor) be willing to let their former Southwest Conference rival back into the fold?
The Big 12 doesn’t have to expand to 12 or 14 teams immediately, but realizing expansion is inevitable in the days of the College Football Playoff, the Big 12 has a great opportunity to expand both its television reach and make sure its place at the table with the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC.
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