Latest on Potential Big 12 Expansion
The Big 12 Conference and the schools within the conference have been talking recently about a potential expansion. Despite it's name, the Big 12 only has 10 schools. There have been 12-team expansion talks, 14-team expansion talks, and even 16-team expansion talks. Since the Big 12 only has 10 schools, they do not have a conference championship for football, which is a major reason for the expansion. The Big 12 has been talking for a while now about an expansion, but this year they are talking more seriously about it than years prior.
There are numerous candidates for the Big 12 expansion. AAC, ACC and Big West schools seem to have been targeted the most. ESPN named 10 possible schools that could join the Big 12, and those schools were: BYU, Boise State, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Connecticut, Houston, Memphis, South Florida and Tulane, noting Boise State, Houston and Memphis being the most likely expansion schools. The Big 12 is not necessarily targeting high-major Power Five conference schools, such as a school like LSU or Michigan State. With that being said, the Big 12 conference could potentially weaken with the expansion and the possibility of some schools leaving.
As far as schools who may leave the Big 12, Oklahoma and Texas have been talked about the most. These are only unconfirmed rumors at this point. There is a problem with Texas and ESPN's "Longhorn Network". If Texas were to leave the Big 12, it is not certain how the Longhorn Network will be dealt with. Where Oklahoma and Texas will end up if they were to leave the Big 12 is not yet known either, but there have been rumors saying Oklahoma could float to the Big 10.
This is a developing story that will continue to develop for the coming months. All the details within the story are not confirmed and mostly rumors. It seems very likely that there will be an expansion before 2018.
There are numerous candidates for the Big 12 expansion. AAC, ACC and Big West schools seem to have been targeted the most. ESPN named 10 possible schools that could join the Big 12, and those schools were: BYU, Boise State, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Connecticut, Houston, Memphis, South Florida and Tulane, noting Boise State, Houston and Memphis being the most likely expansion schools. The Big 12 is not necessarily targeting high-major Power Five conference schools, such as a school like LSU or Michigan State. With that being said, the Big 12 conference could potentially weaken with the expansion and the possibility of some schools leaving.
As far as schools who may leave the Big 12, Oklahoma and Texas have been talked about the most. These are only unconfirmed rumors at this point. There is a problem with Texas and ESPN's "Longhorn Network". If Texas were to leave the Big 12, it is not certain how the Longhorn Network will be dealt with. Where Oklahoma and Texas will end up if they were to leave the Big 12 is not yet known either, but there have been rumors saying Oklahoma could float to the Big 10.
This is a developing story that will continue to develop for the coming months. All the details within the story are not confirmed and mostly rumors. It seems very likely that there will be an expansion before 2018.