The ‘Future Big 12’ Currently Has the Best Record of Any Conference vs. Power 5
It was just weeks ago that major media personalities, through the power of their employers at TV networks, were actively trying to kill off the Big 12 Conference. There were comical reports that the AAC was going to be active in poaching Big 12 schools. There were predictions that the Big 12 would just dissipate with everyone fleeing and looking out for their own.
That didn’t happen, as the league announced the additions of BYU, UCF, Houston and Cincinnati just two weeks ago.
And now as we get a look at the future of the Power 5, here’s an interesting tidbit to consider: Not only will this league not be the worst of the Power 5, it may be even better than many expect.
Our friends over at Pick Six Previews crunched some numbers, and through three weeks the Big 12 is in very good shape in how it stacks up against the rest of the Power 5.
But then, if you look at the “Future Big 12”, by adding the results of Houston, BYU, UCF and Cincinnati, and remove Oklahoma and Texas from the equation, the Big 12’s record actually looks even better. How about this?!
While even I’m not crazy enough to think the new-look Big 12 is going to be on the level of the new-look SEC, the reality that the Big 12 is going to be a tweener league, between the “Power 4” and “Group of 5” is not based in reality.
Given the success BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston have already had against supposedly superior competition, the programs should only improve and their resources improve under more lucrative TV deals, excited donors willing to open their checkbooks and a chance to land higher-quality recruits.
Despite the national media narrative, the Big 12 has a bright future. And we have hard numbers that continue to back that up.
