Report: BYU, Cincinnati, Houston & UCF Could Receive Big 12 Invites This Month
STILLWATER – Possible expansion of the Big 12 is starting to move at a rapid pace, as Brett McMurphy is reporting BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF could receive invitations as early as this month to join the Big 12.
Furthering the report put out by McMurphy, the Houston Chronicle is reporting a formal vote among the leadership of the eight remaining Big 12 teams is set to take place some time next week.
Our sources confirmed the Houston Chronicle timeline that Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who has ramped up the process this week, wants an initial decision on these four schools by Friday of next week. Bowlsby canceled a conference call with Big 12 chief executive officers yesterday and is opting to communicate individually with all those folks. Bowlsby did meet with athletic directors earlier in the week after meeting with officials from BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston. It was after that meeting that information started getting out.
Pokes Report was the first to report the four schools and the increased activity as we put those details out on the same evening that Bowlsby released his statement on the Big 12 future.
McMurphy also reported Boise State, Memphis, SMU and USF were also schools the Big 12 contacted about possible membership but were obviously not included in discussions moving forward.
ESPN, The Athletic and others followed our reporting on Thursday morning as Pokes Report was ahead of the game as we reported on Wednesday, Sept. 1 that Bob Bowlsby and the Big 12 had reached out to those four schools about possible expansion. In fact, we reported that Bowlsby has in fact been to all four schools recently in the past few weeks.
It will be interesting to keep an eye on Big 12 progression because things should be moving fast. The expectation is that all four of the schools considered will get an invitation from the Big 12 early next week.
All this comes after Bowlsby’s announcement Wednesday afternoon about trying to keep the conference afloat and relevant with expansion.
“Following two days of consultation with the athletics directors of the continuing members of the Big 12 Conference,” commissioner Bob Bowlsby stated, “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. Future exploration by the group will continue to center on options that best position the long-term strength of the Conference.”
Cincinnati, Houston and UCF are currently in the AAC, and the AAC requires its member schools to provide 27 months’ notice if the plan on leaving and pay a $10 million exit fee. However, when UConn left the AAC, they paid a $17 million exit fee following only 12 months’ notice. So, even with a possible invite, it’s unclear as to when the four schools would join the Big 12.
Quick Look at BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, and Houston
Brigham Young University - Provo, Utah
Enrollment: 33,517; Head Football Coach: Kalani Sitake; Stadium: LaVell Edwards Stadium (63,725); Record in the 2010s: 77-53 (44th); Avg. TV Viewers per game Last Five Years: 714,000 (46th); Wall Street Est. Value of Football Program: $93.3 million (60th)
University of Central Florida – Orlando, Florida
Enrollment: 66,183; Head Football Coach: Gus Malzahn; Stadium: Bounce House (44,206); Record in the 2010s: 88-42 (16th); Avg. TV Viewers per game Last Five Years: 566,000 (58th); Wall Street Est. Value of Football Program: $68.2 million (65th)
University of Cincinnati – Cincinnati, Ohio
Enrollment: 46,798; Head Football Coach: Luke Fickell; Stadium: Nippert Stadium (40,000); Record in the 2010s: 79-49 (37th); Avg. TV Viewers per game Last Five Years: 430,000 (64th); Wall Street Est. Value of Football Program: $30.2 million (77th)
University of Houston – Houston, Texas
Enrollment: 35,000; Head Football Coach: Dana Holgorsen; Stadium: TDECU Stadium (40,000) Record in the 2010s: 80-48 (37th); Avg. TV Viewers per game Last Five Years: 689,000 (50th); Wall Street Est. Value of Football Program: $41.4 million (72nd)
For comparison:
University of Texas – Austin, Texas
Record in the 2010s: 71-57 (57th); Avg. TV Viewers per game Last Five Years: 2.27 million (13th); Wall Street Est. Value of Football Program: $1.105 billion (1st)
University of Oklahoma – Norman, Okla.
Record in the 2010s: 109-25 (4th); Avg. TV Viewers per game Last Five Years: 2.9 million (8th); Wall Street Est. Value of Football Program: $885 million (7th)
Oklahoma State University – Stillwater, Okla.
Record in the 2010s: 93-37 (13th); Avg. TV Viewers per game Last Five Years: 1.64 million (19th); Wall Street Est. Value of Football Program: $271 million (30th)