What schools should the Big 12 target in expansion? Here’s an idea (or two)
The Big 12 is going to expand.
With the Pac-12 announcing it has no plans to pursue expansion on its own Thursday, eliminating a possible exit plan for the eight remaining Big 12 schools, the Big 12 has no other option.
As one source put it, “Expansion is going to happen.”
Now the question is which schools make the most sense for the conference to target. The Big 12 has formed a four-person subcommittee to evaluate expansion candidates with Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt, Baylor AD Mack Rhoades, Iowa State president Dr. Wendy Wintersteen and Kansas chancellor Doug Girod, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
The Star-Telegram has formed a one-person committee headlined by yours truly to weigh options. Here’s one realistic and one not-so-realistic idea on how the Big 12 should go about its future.
Realistic option
The Big 12 adds two to four teams in the coming years with Texas and Oklahoma set to depart for the SEC in the summer of 2025, at the latest.
Here are the four additions (in order): BYU, Cincinnati, UCF, Houston.
BYU seems to be the easiest addition of all for the Big 12. As one source said, “They would bring immediate value.”
That’s what the Big 12 is looking for with its two flagships leaving for the SEC. Yes, BYU is viewed by some as toxic but it’s got a passionate national fan base, a strong football tradition and is in a top-35 TV market.
The Cougars should be the Big 12’s first call. Plus, they are the most flexible addition given their independence in football. BYU could join in 2022, if needed.
Cincinnati and UCF are attractive, too, considering how well both football programs have fared in recent years. Both are in solid markets as well.
The fourth addition in this scenario goes to Houston over Boise State. The Cougars are slightly more attractive given they’re in Houston and it would allow the Big 12 to further its footprint in Texas with four schools across the state.
Boise State will be given ample consideration, but the bigger market wins out in the end.
Not-so-realistic
The Big 12 goes all-out in expansion and matches the SEC with 16 teams. As of now, it seems like the Big 12 will add two to four teams but this is an enjoyable hypothetical.
If yours truly is running the Big 12, it’s a coast-to-coast league with a pod structure. There would be four teams in the North (Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State), South/Texas (TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech, Houston), East (West Virginia, UCF, Cincinnati and South Florida) and West (BYU, Boise State, Colorado State and San Diego State).
The pods would play each other yearly to maintain and/or build rivalries. Then they’d be matched up with different pods on a rotating basis. Every school would at least play each other once every four years.
We’ve talked about why adding BYU, Cincinnati, UCF and Houston make sense. Boise State, of course, fits in nicely as a football brand and Colorado State is an attractive addition out West. The final spot ultimately goes to San Diego State over UNLV and others. This is rolling the dice that San Diego State becomes that city’s football team without an NFL team there anymore.
In the East, the lean is to go with South Florida over Memphis to establish a greater presence in Florida and provide UCF with a traveling partner. But that mindset may change by the hour.
In the meantime, we’ll wait for Bob Bowlsby’s call.
