It's really no surprise that the Big 12 is talking about expansion. I predicted this what, like two years ago? And it makes sense. Every other BCS conference has at least 12 teams. The ACC has 15, and the SEC and Big Ten both have 14. Especially with the College Football Playoff only taking four teams, they understandably want to level the playing field a little bit. Because more often than not, it's the Big 12 that gets the short end of the stick.
I'm not surprised by the schools that they're talking to, either. BYU is the most obvious candidate to join a major conference of any school. And they fit into the Big 12 footprint, so adding the Cougars would be smart all the way around. But they can't just add BYU. So who else? Well, it's well-known that most of the schools in the American Athletic Conference are chomping at the bit to get out of there. And you knew that the first time any of the Power Five talked of expansion, the American would be the most likely place to look for candidates.
Colorado State has been mentioned as an option, too, and I've always thought a BYU-Colorado State expansion would be the most logical move for the Big 12. Remember, they haven't had the Denver market since Colorado left for the Pac-12, and Colorado State would bring the Rockies back into the Big 12 footprint. Most of the American schools, meanwhile, would expand the conference's reach, which is another important thing these leagues look for with expansion. Among the names mentioned were Central Florida, Memphis and Cincinnati, with UConn also being talked about, but unlikely.
West Virginia in the Big 12 has never made sense. They aren't remotely close geographically to the entire rest of the conference. It's like when Boston College first joined the ACC and there wasn't a single conference team anywhere near them. Eventually, the ACC made them happy by adding Syracuse and Pitt, just like part of the reason the Big Ten added Rutgers and Maryland was to give Penn State some local opponents.
For West Virginia, the preferred addition would likely be either Cincinnati or Memphis. Cincinnati has been one of the schools more vocal in their discontent with their present situation. They've been itching to get in the ACC for a while, so you'd have to imagine they'd jump at the chance to join the Big 12. Although, I'm not sure the Bearcats are exactly what the Big 12 is looking for. Keep in mind, they want a strong football program.
Which brings us to Houston, which has emerged as the favorite to join BYU in Big 12 expansion, whenever it may be. At first glance, Houston may come off as a bit of a surprise. But looking at it closer, Houston really does seem the perfect fit for the Big 12. The other four Texas schools probably wouldn't be too happy to have another in-state conference member to go against for recruiting purposes. But, with Texas A&M in the SEC, how many in-state recruits are the Texas schools losing already? Maybe if Houston makes the jump from the American to the Big 12, which will improve their recruiting base, that keeps some of those Texas kids in the Big 12.
The Texas governor made a ridiculous demand yesterday that any Big 12 expansion "must" involve Houston, calling the issue a "non-starter" if they weren't included. Now, I'm pretty sure the Governor of Texas has no power when it comes to making decisions for the Big 12 Conference. But, the University of Texas sure does. And the Longhorns support the addition of Houston, too.
And if you think about it, Houston really is the most logical option for the Big 12 for a number of reasons. First off, it gives them back Houston. Texas A&M isn't really in Houston (it's pretty much halfway between Houston and Austin), but having a base in the city was one of the main reasons why the SEC added Texas A&M. Now the Big 12 will be back in Houston, and actually IN the city. Likewise, Houston isn't an unfamiliar opponent to anybody in the Big 12. Houston had longstanding rivalries with Texas, Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech in the days of the old Southwest Conference, and I'm sure that after 30 years in Conference USA and the American, the Cougars would love to be reunited with their in-state foes.
Bringing in Houston would also give the Big 12 an easy split for its divisions. They'd have five Texas schools and West Virginia. There's your "South" division, with everybody else in the "North." Taking another school (Colorado State, for example) would make that division tougher, especially since all of the Texas schools would want to make sure they all continue to play each other. Putting them all in the same division with the one outlier makes it incredibly easy. It would also give the Big 12 the option of using both AT&T Stadium and Reliant Stadium for the conference championship game, which is being reinstated no matter what.
While nothing is official yet and the Big 12 is still technically "exploring its options," expansion sure seems inevitable. It's like when the NHL was courting Las Vegas before officially awarding the franchise. They wouldn't be talking about it if it wasn't going to happen. And it sure looks like BYU and Houston are both on board. The Big 12's name will be correct once again. Soon. Maybe as early as the 2017-18 school year.
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