It's Official! BYU, Cincinnati, UCF and Houston Joining the Big 12

STILLWATER – The Presidents and Chancellors of the Big 12 Conference’s eight remaining universities voted unanimously on Friday to invite and accept Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla; University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio; and University of Houston in Houston, Texas as future members of the conference. The Big 12 was looking to add members for the future after Texas and Oklahoma announced their future departure from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference in July. The meeting of the school presidents and chancellors was held by Zoom at 8 a.m. on Friday morning.

All four of the schools voted in by the Big 12 had meetings scheduled of their board of trustees or board of regents to officially accept the invitation by the Big 12.

With the other four power five conferences choosing not to expand further with conference realignment opened by the move of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, either frozen by threat of legal action (SEC) or by choice as members of the new Alliance (ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-12) the Big 12 had no choice but to expand. The league’s commissioner Bob Bowlsby went on a personal search to find the four best candidates and had the advantage of the information gained in the conference’s search for new members in 2016.

Bowlsby did a quick tour of the schools and their campuses and met with his athletic directors and Presidents in the days after. This process moved really quick and by midweek of this week, the four schools had all petitioned the Big 12 for membership in the conference.

“Today’s vote solidifies the long-term trajectory of the Big 12 Conference,” stated Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. “I applaud the efforts of our presidents, chancellors and athletics directors of our continuing members to expeditiously consider and take this action. The addition of these four fine institutions ensures the continued success of the Big 12 at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics competition.”

All four of the schools operate their athletic departments in a “power five school fashion” with BYU being the school most like the Big 12 schools in budget and revenue from athletics. The Utah school is also boosted by the large membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Houston is a former Southwest Conference member that is back building major athletic facilities and boosting its athletic budget.

Central Florida has a huge enrollment and has recent newly added new facilities.

Cincinnati is lacking some in the facility department but has a football team that has resided in the top 10 of the major polls the past two seasons and nearly knocked off Georgia last season in the Peach Bowl.

As an independent in football, BYU would have the first chance to join the Big 12 as an active participant and that could be as early as the 2022 season. Cincinnati, Central Florida, and Houston are all members of the American Athletic Conference and would be required to give 27-months’ notice and pay a $10-million exit penalty to the conference. The hope is those teams could be able to play in the 2023 season, but 2024 is more likely to be when they begin as active members.

Meanwhile, Texas and Oklahoma are still saying they will stay with the Grant of Rights and will remain in the Big 12 through the 2024-25 school year before joining the SEC. The Big 12 current television media rights contract concludes after that school year. It is possible the television partners and primarily Disney/ESPN could make contract offers that could influence conference movement. Money is always a strong persuasion. The Big 12 will be looking to recoup as much revenue as possible from the expected loss of having Texas and Oklahoma as members.

What does this mean for Oklahoma State? For now, Oklahoma State and the other remaining seven are committed to the new Big 12 set up. However, I do believe as the Big Ten and he Pac-12 near the negotiations on a new television and media right contract with the Big Ten in 2023 and the Pac-12 in 2024 just ahead of the Big 12 in 2025 that realignment could come bubbling back up with leagues looking for a few attractive new members. Oklahoma State will be one of those and could have decisions to make at that time. This is a time where schools have to look out for their best interest.

Quick look at new Big 12 members 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; Colors: Blue and White; Mascot: Cosmo the Cougar

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); Top Athletic Accomplishment: Named College Football National Champions in 2017 by Florida legislature, Orlando Sentinel, and Colley Matrix computer poll; Colors: Black and Gold; Mascot: Knightro the Knight.

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); Top Athletic Accomplishment: Currently ranked in the top 10 in football polls; Colors: Red and Black; Mascot: Bearcat.

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); Top Athletic Accomplishment: Played in NCAA National Championship Basketball Games in 1983 and 1984; Colors: Scarlet and White; Mascot: Shasta the Cougar.