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The Big 12 survived the reorganization of the last important conference of college football 10 years ago, as the league still had Texas and Oklahoma.
The pending move to the Southeastern Conference, the only national championship winner, has created another seismic change. This Big 12 moved immediately It will be in extended mode.Leagues can be added to it The remaining 8 members Even before Longhorns and Sooners are gone.
There is no substitute for Texas, the richest athlete program in the country, or Oklahoma, the only big 12 team with four college football playoffs, six defending conference champions.And so far, no other team is coming in from other Power Five Leagues Longhorns and Snurs start SEC play By the 2025 season.
The four potential candidates for the Big 12 membership are the current Top 10 teams (No. 7 Cincinnati), schools with more than 70,000 students far from the 13-0 season (Central Florida), and nationally. Includes an independent school (BYU) with a fan base. ) And a school in Texas in the fourth largest city in the United States (Houston).
Oklahoma coach Mike Gandhi, who is hoping to meet with school leaders on Wednesday, said he knew nothing about the conversation between the league and those schools, or even the level of interest between them. Told. But he showed that they were good candidates.
“People consider BYU a Power Five team …. Look at that logo, they really don’t know they’re independent, and they’re tied to a Power Five conference. I think there are 71,000 students in Central Florida and they are crazy about the TV market. They have a lot of hiring bases and are now playing good football, “says Gandhi. market. There are many people who live in that part of the country. And the logo has grown in popularity over the last few years and they are winning. “
Houston has been on the SEC market since Texas A & M, a former member of the Big 12 in 2012, made its debut in the league. It is also close to the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
However, having a team about 165 miles east of Austin’s Texas campus can help recruit big 12 teams. The University of Houston regent voted unanimously on Tuesday, delegating authority to pursue Big 12 membership to the school’s prime minister.
BYU’s longtime athlete director Tom Holmoe has not commented on the potential of the Big 12, but states that his school’s goal is to play the best teams and athletes in the country.
“When we were attending the Mountain West Conference, we tried everything we could to play a really good team in non-conference games and conferences. When we became independent, we sought that quest. It has expanded and continued to grow, “Holmo said before defeating Arizona in the opening round of the BYU season. “
Big 12 is already off to a good start in the current review of expansion candidates.
Cincinnati, Central Florida, BYU and Houston were interviewed at one of the 11 schools before the league decided to stay on 10 teams when the Big 12 seriously considered expansion in a three-month process in 2016. bottom. Part of that decision was based on changes to the NCAA rules that would allow the Big 12 to revive the conference championship game despite having less than 12 teams.
Texas won the final National Football Championship in the Big 12 in the 2005 season, five years after Oklahoma. The Suners played CFP four times, losing in the semifinals each time.
The Big 12 hosts as many national championships in men’s basketball. Baylor won last season after Kansas won in 2008. The Jayhawks participated in the other three final fours as a Big 12 member, and Texas Tech won the national championship in 2019. .. With four big 12 to four women’s basketball champions, Baylor won three (2005, 2012, 2019) and entered the SEC in 2011 at the Texas A & M.
Currently there is another environment. This time around, there is no Big 12 Power Five lifeline as the SEC is focusing on two new members in an alliance mediated between other major conferences, ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12. ..
Therefore, the Big 12 needs to grow from the outside and fast.
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