Big 12 Expansion Once Again Becomes A Hot Topic

Recent comments by the University of Oklahoma’s athletic director, David Boren, have reignited the conversation surrounding Big 12 expansion and conference realignment. At a press conference announcing the approval of funding for stadium renovations, Boren took the opportunity to share his opinion about the need for the Big 12 to expand its ranks.

"“I think it’s something we should strive for while we have the time, stability, all of that to look and be choosy…(We) can be very selective about who we want to add. It would have to add value to the conference. I think we should.” Boren told the gathered the media members."

It has been only three years since the nation was consumed by NCAA conference realignment. And when the dust settled, the Big 12 lost four original members (Missouri, Texas A&M, Nebraska, and Colorado), but added TCU and West Virginia. However, the conference lost the right to have a conference title game due to an NCAA rule stipulating that no conference with fewer than twelve teams may have a title game.

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Proponents of Big 12 expansion feel that the lack of a title game weakens the resume of the Big 12 champion by taking away one more quality win and one final opportunity to impress the college football playoff selection committee. The title game is also a source of revenue the conference misses out on, and everyone knows that money is the driving force behind any potential conference expansion.

Yet, some have opposed expanding the conference over fears that schools would receive less money from the Big 12 if the conference revenue was to be divided by 12 teams, rather than 10. For example, schools like Texas Tech, which generates less revenue on their own than Oklahoma or Texas, are more reliant upon their share of conference revenue to assure the athletic budget is balanced.

However, Boren shared previously unreported information that would put those fears to rest.

"“The contract says that our main television contract … if we grow from 10 to 11, or 11 to 12, their payments to us grow proportionally,” Boren said. “So everybody’s share stays the same. If it’s ‘X’ dollars, it stays ‘X’ dollars.”"

It is also important to realize that the conference would receive more revenue from added bowl tie-ins and NCAA tournament appearances should the league include two more schools.

The question then turns to which schools the conference could target. There are a number of schools willing to make a move to a Power-5 conference, but which ones would make sense for the Big 12?

One school that would receive significant consideration is Brigham Young University, which is currently an independent school.

Last summer, the Cougars head coach, Bronco Mendenhall said, “We would love to be in the Big 12…I would love to be a member of that conference. I think that would make a lot of sense.”

The Cougars would bring a new television market to the conference and expand Big 12 influence into the western portion of the nation. BYU also has a tremendous national following due to its affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. However, BYU has its own television network just like the University of Texas. Boren (and most of the other Big 12 members) remain bitter about the existence of the Longhorn Network because it has inhibited the creation of a Big 12 network.

"“The elephant in the room remains the network south of us that has struggled and has in a way as long as it’s there… But someday, maybe we’ll get past that other problem as well. It’s a problem.” Boren said last week."

BYU’s willingness to make concessions about its athletic television contract could be a possible stumbling block in negotiations with the Big 12. BYU would also have to consider changing its stance of not playing on Sundays since many of the Big 12 sporting events like baseball, softball, soccer and golf happen over the entire weekend.

Another school that seems almost desperate to join the Big 12 is Cincinnati. One pro of adding the Bearcats include their location in a major television market in the Midwest, a market the conference lost when Nebraska joined the Big 10. Cincinnati would be a preferred choice of West Virginia because it would mean that the Mountaineers would have at least one conference partner in its general geographic region. This might be a necessary concession if the conference wishes to add BYU, which is about 2,000 miles from Morgantown making travel, especially in non-revenue generating sports difficult to justify.

Coming off back-to-back American Athletic Conference titles, the University of Central Florida Knights feel like they are worthy of being in a power-5 conference. According to the Orlando Sentinel, UCF head coach George O’Leary is already posturing for a possible Big 12 invitation.

"“Well if you look at what we’ve accomplished in three years, five years, we’ve had what three 10-win, 12-win seasons? They should be talking about you,” O’Leary said. “I think UCF is gonna be on the lips of a lot of people to be honest with you.” Link"

The only thing UCF would bring to the Big 12 is a presence in Florida where college football is dominated by the ACC and SEC. However, UCF lacks the fan base, tradition or national recognition to add any significant value to the Big 12 other than simply helping the league get to twelve teams.

Other schools like Memphis and Boise State could be candidates if the conference decides to expand. However, expansion does not seem eminent. The conference has a media rights deal with ABC, ESPN, and FOX that runs through 2024-2025, so for the next decade the conference seems stable but as long as the conference has only 10 teams, expansion will always be at least a dot on the horizon.

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