The Big 12 continues to engage in serious discussions about future expansion, with a current preference of adding four new members, sources tell The Athletic. BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston are the four schools that have been most seriously discussed and are considered the leading contenders, sources said.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby paid a visit to Houston’s campus on Thursday to meet with school officials and discuss potential Big 12 membership, multiple sources said.
Bowlsby’s meeting suggests the conference is motivated to move quickly on expansion, sources said. If the athletic directors and presidents of the league’s eight remaining members can reach a consensus on which members to invite, sources believe it’s possible that the process could move faster than initially anticipated.
The ADs of the Big 12’s remaining schools met with commissioner Bowlsby in Dallas on Tuesday and Wednesday to begin planning the future of the conference.
“The eight ADs remain committed to furthering the Big 12 as one of the nation’s premier athletic conferences, and look forward to working with our presidents and chancellors to strengthen the league,” Bowlsby said in a statement on Wednesday. “Future exploration by the group will continue to center on options that best position the long-term strength of the Conference.”
The Pac-12’s announcement last Thursday that it will not expand at this time meant the leaders of the eight schools have few options beyond staying and working together to build up the conference in preparation for its next phase, when Texas and Oklahoma leave for the SEC and its grant of rights and television deal expire in 2025.
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