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Big 12 Football: Salvage the conference with these additions

By John Scimeca

STILLWATER, OK - SEPTEMBER 15: Wide receiver A.J. Richardson #7 of the Boise State Broncos grabs for a pass in front of cornerback A.J. Green #4 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys defeated the Broncos 44-21. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
STILLWATER, OK - SEPTEMBER 15: Wide receiver A.J. Richardson #7 of the Boise State Broncos grabs for a pass in front of cornerback A.J. Green #4 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys defeated the Broncos 44-21. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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Houston and Tulane are great geographical potential additions to the Big 12. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Houston and Tulane are great geographical potential additions to the Big 12. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

The Big 12’s Solution: Expansion

One possible solution would be to embrace what the Big 12 has avoided for the past 10 years: expansion of teams and of the geographical footprint. This expansion proposal comes at the heels of losing the two biggest money producers and recognizable programs of the league.

The new-look Big 12

North Division: Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Boise State, BYU

South Division: Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, Houston, Tulane, West Virginia

Under this proposal, four new teams would be invited to join the Big 12 in the wake of losing OU and Texas. Boise State could join from the Mountain West, BYU from the Independent ranks, and Tulane and Houston from the American Athletic Conference.

Boise State would the strongest football addition to the conference. The Broncos have finished in the AP Top 25 in 13 of the past 20 seasons, a mark that’s already better than most current Big 12 members during that span — including TCU (11 times), West Virginia (nine), OSU (eight), Baylor, Kansas State, and Texas Tech (five), and finally Kansas and Iowa State (one). Since 2008, nine Boise State players have been taken in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.

TCU has been a successful Big 12 addition from the Mountain West. Lastly, Boise State has achieved double-digit victories in all about four times since 2002, including last year’s pandemic-shortened schedule.

BYU would be a geographical fit with new addition Boise State. The Cougars finished last season with the nation’s No. 11 ranking and an 11-1 finish, the program draws nearly 60,000 fans per home game — a better mark than all current Big 12 programs except Texas, OU, and Iowa State (and the Cyclones only by a couple hundred people). The Cougars have won 10 or more games in six seasons since 2006.

Houston and Tulane are weaker with on-field success, but the pair from the AAC could help the Big 12 regain a foothold in recruiting along the Gulf Coast, southeast Texas, and Louisiana. Houston has had flashes of brilliance (like the 13-1 finish and No. 8 ranking in 2015 under Tom Herman), and the Cougars generated the fifth-highest revenue mark ($19 million) among all Group of Five schools in 2018. Tulane is simply an excuse for the Big 12 to add New Orleans to the mix, and hey, the Green Wave are former SEC members in a state with only one current power conference school.

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Expansion of these programs may be the only thing that can save the Big 12 as we know it. Former league members dot the college football landscape from the Big Ten (Nebraska), the SEC (Missouri and Texas A&M), and the Pac-12 (Colorado).

Without Big 12 expansion, the league may find it difficult to maintain its standing as a power conference in NCAA football. OSU, then, may find itself heading west with Texas Tech to beg the Pac-12 to consider a “Pac-16” that was in vogue during conversations 10 years ago.

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