Long Live the Big 12

by John Sickels on Jun 15, 2025 3:01 PM EDT Comment 35 comments

After a nail-biting couple of weeks, it seems that the Big 12 lives on despite the treasonous activities of Nebraska and Colorado.

I was very annoyed about the potential loss of easy access to quality college baseball. But, for the next few years anyway, it shouldn't be an issue. Nebraska has been down in recent years, and Colorado didn't play on the diamond. Still, the long-term future of the Big 12 would feel better if it actually had 12 schools.

So, if the Big 12 was going to expand in the future and steal a couple of teams from other conferences to get back to 12 schools, who would fit? The University of Houston and the University of Memphis from Conference USA look like good poach targets to me. Arkansas would be nice but is likely a pipe dream. What do you guys think? I look at it from the perspective of a baseball fan, with a moderate interest in basketball, though I realize of course that football is the big driver here.

0 recs | Comment 35 comments | Add comment

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Dollars

Everything in the college landscape seems to come down to money. So if they were to target another team(s) they would have to be able to offer them more money in tv deals and such. The best targets seem to be teams in the WAC, MWC and possibly Conference USA but travel will be a consideration. I think the best targets would be teams in the WAC.

by Pup Dog on Jun 15, 2025 3:07 PM EDT reply actions

TCU

And Rice would make for one awesome baseball conference.

by backtocali on Jun 15, 2025 3:07 PM EDT reply actions

true

True…but that would put both Oklahoma schools in the northern division and make things very texas heavy.

My proposal would put Memphis in the North along with OK State and Houston in the south.

by John Sickels on Jun 15, 2025 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Memphis...

Would be the #1 target for the Big 12 I would think. Big time basketball program, big time alumni/sponsor support and Fed Ex apparently wants them in a BCS conference.

Houston and Louisville would be my guess for #2

by ADLC on Jun 15, 2025 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions

I've suggested this to several friends as well.

I love that TCU has a good football team and good baseball team. It’d be a great addition on the diamond.

Coffee. The NEW Performance Enhancing drug for Sport's Writers. Just ask Ken Rosenthal.

by 306008 on Jun 15, 2025 11:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, but the MWC

would probably put up one gigantic fight to keep them. TCU is the big player football wise in the conference, which is really where they (the MWC) get all their money.

by Prospector on Jun 16, 2025 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Baseball wise

Order of preference baseball wise of teams not in the Big 12 that fit geographically:

Rice
LSU, Arkansas, TCU
Tulane, Wichita State, Houston, Oral Roberts

But lets be honest, it’s all about football and I don’t know enough about football to say anything.

by bigboy1234 on Jun 15, 2025 3:40 PM EDT reply actions

Oh

and trade Iowa State to the Big Ten back for Nebraska. Losing Nebraska hurts.

by bigboy1234 on Jun 15, 2025 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Big no thanks from the Big Ten.

Baseball makes the world go 'round, or at least in my world it does.

by Whiteyballer on Jun 15, 2025 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions

It really doesn't.

Coffee. The NEW Performance Enhancing drug for Sport's Writers. Just ask Ken Rosenthal.

by 306008 on Jun 15, 2025 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions

If Big XII is looking for recruiting, TV markets, bigger footprint, etc.

Why not USF and UCF? Very unconventional, but on paper brings everything but Midwest geography. Admittedly, that could be a dealbreaker, but could be a great move.

by Manoog on Jun 15, 2025 3:47 PM EDT reply actions

I am assuming this is central florida and south florida

USF would work football wise but not central. Also we have to look at geographics. I think those 2 schools are too far away for texas, mizzou, etc to travel for a football, baseball, basketball game. These are student athletes and they are already traveling a lot for out of conference games now we would be having them travel a good deal for conference games.

by Pup Dog on Jun 15, 2025 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions

True

but it would give the Big 12 an “in” into the south for recruiting, like the SEC wanted to get an “in” into Texas by adding A&M. Not likely to happen whatsoever, but there are benefits to it.

http://bullpenbanter.com

by gatling on Jun 15, 2025 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Don't really need one.

The Big 12 already has Texas for recruiting.

The Coors Effect

by Tom (RFTN) on Jun 15, 2025 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions

the thing is

The Big 12 has pretty much always been “as UT goes, so goes the Big 12”. And UT has all the recruiting base it needs, as it just dominates the state of Texas. I think last year all but 2-3 kids were native to Texas (and I might be low on that, as there’s only one kid I can remember being from outside the state). Oklahoma would probably benefit much more from expanding recruiting to Florida . . .so not happening.

For football purposes at least, I don’t know why people are so attached to the traditional conferences. They’re pretty anti-climatic as is . . .UT and Oklahoma basically focus on being able to beat each other knowing that if they do so, they’re almost certainly in a BCS bowl. LSU was in the SEC conversation for a while, but Florida and Alabama are killing it on recruiting and it’s quickly becoming a situation similar to the Big 12.

by mrkupe on Jun 16, 2025 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions

As a Mizzou fan

The new Big 12 sucks. UT has even more control and can pull the plug on the conference in a heartbeat by striking up an even better deal to go elsewhere with OU, TT and OK State following right behind.

All the Big 12 north teams also had to give up the penalty money they were going to receive from Colorado and Nebraska. Of course it’s going to UT, A&M and OU.

The Big 12 north schools might as well agree to clean up the stadiums and arenas of UT, A&M and OU after they’re done playing games in them.

Awful deal but I guess the thought of going to the Mountain West was enough to make everyone up north crumble.

by UncleBuck44 on Jun 15, 2025 3:51 PM EDT reply actions

I was going to say... Mountain West buddy?

No way. Keep the automatic bids for football.

Coffee. The NEW Performance Enhancing drug for Sport's Writers. Just ask Ken Rosenthal.

by 306008 on Jun 15, 2025 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Expansion Won't Happen

Again, this the UT Conference and UT HATES the Big 12 Championship game in football. They hate the thought of having to play a weaker Big 12 North team and possibly lose a chance at the National Championship game. Take the Nebraska-UT Championship game last year. Texas almost lost to the far inferior Huskers and it would have pushed them out of the title game against Alabama. It’s usually a gain very little and lose everything game for Texas and even Oklahoma.

Forget about getting back to 12 teams. There will be 10 teams or UT will leave and so will all the other south teams.

And remember, football is all that matters. Basketball is an afterthought and baseball doesn’t even exist.

by UncleBuck44 on Jun 15, 2025 3:57 PM EDT reply actions

If for Some Reason The Big 12 Were to Expand

Louisville would definitely be one of my guesses. Charlie Strong, ex-Florida assistant, is the new football coach and he’ll have them turned back into a power soon. Their basketball and baseball programs are very good currently. They also provide a good TV market.

Don’t know who the second school would be. Maybe TCU or Houston but does UT want another Texas school in the Big 12 hogging the Texas recruits?

Don’t even think about an SEC school bolting for the unstable Big 12. Will never happen.

by UncleBuck44 on Jun 15, 2025 4:17 PM EDT reply actions

TCU Sounds Good But Not Rice

If Rice played Al Queda, I would root for Osama Bin Laden.

by The Seagull on Jun 15, 2025 5:07 PM EDT reply actions

Iowa St.

doesn’t even need to be on the map as they don’t have a baseball program

by gghulsebus on Jun 15, 2025 5:12 PM EDT reply actions

New Mexico State...

an alum can dream, can’t he?

Adam Dunn: Proof that even sabermetrics doesn't have it right.

by Boxkutter on Jun 15, 2025 5:41 PM EDT reply actions

TCU or Arkansas

Without question in my book.

Baseball makes the world go 'round, or at least in my world it does.

by Whiteyballer on Jun 15, 2025 6:17 PM EDT reply actions

I'm disappointed

Being from Pittsburgh, I was really hoping for a scenario where Pitt joined the ACC giving me a bigger pool of college baseball talent to watch. I really couldn’t care less about college football or basketball.

by jar75 on Jun 15, 2025 6:18 PM EDT reply actions

But.. but..

Pitt can’t leave WVU and the Big East. It’s the motherfreakin backyard brawl you want broken up here. How dare you!

On a serious note, you still may see Pitt go to the Big 10 (12?/16?)

Da'Sean Butler - A Mountaineer Legend

by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Jun 15, 2025 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions

B10 is probably a worse baseball conference than the Big East

by jar75 on Jun 15, 2025 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions

It definitely is.

…but the Big East is rotting from the inside out. Sooner or later that domino will fall. As currently constructed it makes little sense.

Bullpen Banter
www.bullpenbanter.com
twitter: @alskor

by alskor on Jun 16, 2025 1:46 AM EDT up reply actions

Ideally

Pitt would join up with a few others (UConn being the most important baseball wise), move to the ACC, and then a network could be formed giving me ACC baseball in my area.

by jar75 on Jun 16, 2025 9:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Not really any good candidates

You’re looking at this from the perspective of a college baseball/basketball fan, but let’s be honest: any expansion is all about football. And all the potential candidates are flawed.

Arkansas: Has more natural rivalries with the Big 12 schools than in the SEC, but would be difficult to pry away from the SEC; the Big 12’s unequal revenue sharing is probably a drawback for them.
Memphis: Basketball program has generally been excellent in recent years, but football program is subpar. Memphis does add a new market for the Big 12, though.
TCU: Pointless; the Big 12 already owns the Dallas/Fort Worth media market because of Texas and Texas A&M, so TCU just adds another set of hands grabbing at the pie.
Houston/Rice: Same as TCU.
BYU: Solid overall athletic program, but Big 12 schools complained enough about having to go to Colorado; how would they feel about going to BYU?
Utah: More likely candidate for the Pac-10.

The Coors Effect

by Tom (RFTN) on Jun 15, 2025 6:26 PM EDT reply actions

To echo what Tom said using your own words

“I look at it from the perspective of a baseball fan, with a moderate interest in basketball, though I realize of course that ~~football~~ football money is the ~~big~~ only driver here.”

Da'Sean Butler - A Mountaineer Legend

by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Jun 15, 2025 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions

memphis

Well I’d like to add the Memphis market, and getting into the Big 12 would probably help their football recruiting.

You sure adding the Houston market would’t help things just a bit more on the TV side? It isn’t quite the same as Dallas/Fort Worth, though of course it is still Texas.

by John Sickels on Jun 15, 2025 6:34 PM EDT reply actions

I think Memphis would be a good fit as well.

The Big 12 label would help their recruiting I think as well.

Coffee. The NEW Performance Enhancing drug for Sport's Writers. Just ask Ken Rosenthal.

by 306008 on Jun 15, 2025 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions

In terms of Houston

Well, you have to think about the fact that UH would add another slice to the pie of revenue payouts. Is the added interest in the Houston market enough to offset that? My gut answer is no. You already have Texas and A&M getting plenty of interest in the market; I don’t think UH adds all that much. UH’s average home football attendance in 2009 was around 25,000 per game.

The Coors Effect

by Tom (RFTN) on Jun 16, 2025 2:59 AM EDT up reply actions

Tulane and Rice

I like the Tulane idea. And Rice too — used to be in the Southwest Conference with a lot of the others. They could fill the Northwestern/Vanderbilt role.

by FlipYrWhig on Jun 15, 2025 7:36 PM EDT reply actions