Predicting what Big 12 realignment might look like after expansion

The Big 12 may never be the same. On Monday, presidents from the conference are set to meet to discuss expanding and realigning the Big 12.

In this new era of College Football Playoffs, the level of competition between the teams has risen to a level almost never seen before. If a team really wants to prove that it’s for real, then a conference championship needs to be won.

This is a problem for teams in the Big 12, but it goes beyond just a lame endgame. The Big 12 isn’t nerdy as prestigious or competitive as the SEC or ACC — which is holding it back. In the past two seasons, the Big 12 has only had one team make the playoffs, and Oklahoma’s playoff selection was not universally well received as they did not have the resume that other teams had.

Therefore, in order to increase the likelihood that a deserving Big 12 school is selected, the only option is for the conference to expand its membership.This would call for some realignment, which is always a fun thing to fantasize about and envision.

As of today, the two hottest candidates to join the Big 12 would have to be the University of Houston and the University of Cincinnati.

Adding Houston to the conference would be a logical choice. Although the team is playing excellent football as of now, in the past decade, the school as succeeded in attracting top tier coaches such as Kevin Sumlin (current Texas A&M head coach) and Art Briles (former Baylor head coach).

Additionally, Houston is located in one of the richest recruiting areas in the country. The Big 12 would love to keep all of that amazing talent in the conference.

Now, the addition of Cincinnati to the Big 12 might leave some people scratching their heads. It is true that Cinncinatti isn’t one of the traditional powerhouses, nor is it located near the state of Texas (where most of the Big 12 resides). However, adding Cincinnati to the conference would help expand the reach of the Big 12 to other parts of the country.