ORLANDO, Fla. — In a process that seems to be moving as fast as lightning, the Big 12 is expanding as soon as next week according to a report from Sports Illustrated.
After it was reported Thursday afternoon by The Athletic that the league had been holding “serious discussions” about adding UCF, Houston, Cincinnati and BYU, the four schools are expected to apply for Big 12 membership next week. The four additions could be approved for admission in a meeting of Big 12 presidents Sept. 10, Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde reported Friday.
The league has the eight votes needed for expansion, according to the report. If things move forward as planned, the four teams will join the league by 2023 or, at the very latest, 2024, Sports Illustrated said.
The move by the Big 12 to expand comes less than six weeks after Texas and Oklahoma announced their future departure to the SEC. Leaders in college football believe that by adding the four schools mentioned, the league will retain its status as an Autonomy 5 league, the report said.
“Now that the names [of the potential new additions] are out, I’d think that will expedite the process,” one Big 12 source told Sports Illustrated.
To leave the American Athletic Conference, UCF, Houston and Cincinnati are required to give 27-month notice to their league and pay a $10 million exit penalty. That exit fee could increase, however, in an effort to leave the Group of Five conference earlier than required, the report said.
Because BYU is not a member of a conference in football, it won’t have to pay any exit fees. The Cougars would need to give the West Coast Conference notice for its other sports leaving the league.
The attraction surrounding the four schools includes both TV market/audience and football relevancy, a Big 12 source told Sports Illustrated.
UCF has won four conference championships on the football field since the AAC formed in 2013. The Knights have played in three New Year’s Six bowls since 2014, winning two of three in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl over Baylor and the 2018 Peach Bowl capping off an undefeated season with a win over Auburn.
Following Thursday’s come-from-behind win over Boise State at the Bounce House, UCF is now 42-8 in its last 50 games dating back to the 2017 season.
Orlando also is home to the largest TV market in the country without an NFL team in its area, according to the latest Nielsen TV market rankings.
According to the report, the four new members are not expected to immediately get full distribution shares. However, their first-year shares in the Big 12 are “expected to double if not triple their American distribution, which is around $6 million or $7 million,” the report said.
