6. South Florida
After 11-2 and 10-2 seasons in 2016 and 2017 under head coaches Willie Taggart and Charlie Strong, South Florida has fallen on tough times lately. That shouldn’t rule them out automatically from the Big 12, especially if the league is serious about inviting Central Florida from down the road. Plus, “the War on I-4” could remain as in-conference matchup pitting these two schools in the middle of the Sunshine State.
South Florida carries many of the same pluses as Central Florida, although the Bulls lack the recent success on the national stage of the Knights. The school has played at the Division I level only since 2000 but has compiled an impressive 138-114 record as Independents or members of three different conferences.
5. BYU
OK, so the league wouldn’t be able to play a men’s basketball tournament on Sunday — but the Big 12 moved away from that years ago, anyway! BYU deserves serious consideration as a Big 12 member, if Cougars brass wants a conference affiliation again.
BYU fans travel or are based nationwide, and a team out West could open up possibilities for the Big 12 in the region and beyond. Four of the Cougars’ last five seasons in the Mountain West resulted in 10 or 11 wins each, but BYU hasn’t matched that same success as an Independent in the past 11 years.
The talent level is clearly there, too: five Cougars were selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, including the second overall pick, quarterback Zach Wilson to the New York Jets.