When the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns announced their intentions to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, speculation has run rampant regarding the future of the conference. From disbandment to forming scheduling alliances, the Big 12 looked to be on its last legs.
Then word came out late last week, as the country was preparing for the first full week of college football, that the Big 12 had shown interest in adding UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, and BYU to the conference in the wake of realignment.
Well, according to a report from Pete Thamel of CBS Sports, expansion is quickly becoming a reality as the presidents of the Big 12 member schools scheduled a call to formally vote on expansion.
In the ever-changing landscape of college football, Big 12 expansion has moved as quickly as Texas and Oklahoma’s realignment to the SEC. One week we heard about it and the next week it was done.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and the university leaderships are moving much more proactively this time around than they did a decade ago. The last round of realignment saw them lose four major programs in the conference. While they added West Virginia and TCU, it always felt like a half-measure and conference expansion was annually the talk of Big 12 media days.
List
5 thoughts on the Big 12’s latest round of expansion talks
Adding UCF, Houston, Cincinnati, and BYU makes a lot of sense from a marketing and competition standpoint. Each of those teams can contend in the new-look Big 12. Even as Group of Five schools, they’ve had an impact on the national landscape for much of the last two decades.
It’s a strong move by a conference that would have struggled to survive without expansion. Though the vote won’t make the Big 12’s expansion plans official until Friday, it’s a move that will help move the conference forward into the next era of college football.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.
Stream college football games from the SEC, Big 12, The American, and more on ESPN+
List
How did the proposed additions to the Big 12 fare in week 1?
