The Big 12 Conference staked itself out west in the states of Arizona, Colorado, and Utah, but should that map continue expanding in the near future, just how far should Brett Yormark go?
The case for adding new member(s) remains virtually unchanged now that the Protect College Sports Act is seemingly on the back burner and few Senate eyes are looking at the legislation until the new year. The Big 12, though, must maintain its position among the Power Four to survive long-term, and potential expansion may be the answer – but where, when and how?
Yormark and the Big 12 are expected to renegotiate the league’s television deal ahead of the 2031-32 academic year when its current six-year, $2.28 billion extension with ESPN and FOX ends in 2031.
Three potential options – Boise State, Oregon State and Washington State – are members of the new-look Pac-12 and carry the infrastructure needed to field competitive football programs while adding to the hoops market. Additionally, it sets the Big 12 up for a division structure similar to the Big 12 of old. Until 2010, the Big 12 was composed of north and south divisions, each with its own regular-season title feeding into the league’s outright title.
Expanding into the Pacific time zone gives the Big 12 a new foothold in the market, while creating a larger inventory for potential broadcasting partnerships. Boise State and Wazzu are competitive on the gridiron, and Oregon State, while largely unsuccessful since the former Pac-12’s collapse, enjoyed three consecutive winning seasons from 2021 through 2023.
The addition of Boise State, too, gives the conference another member with College Football Playoff history and the credentials worthy of competing for a conference title.
For the Big 12 to properly negotiate a new TV deal, though, the networks must assess the league’s membership and be willing to cut a larger check for the smaller TV markets that come with these three potential members. Pullman, Washington, also gives the conference another remote location, that of Morgantown, West Virginia, pushing up travel costs.
As it stands, the Big 12, which features 16 schools from Arizona to Florida, isn’t concerned about geography anymore. And considering just how much Power Four schools are willing to spend on travel to remain part of the conversation, it’s only a matter of a proper valuation from the league to step into this corner of the country and bump the league’s membership closer to 20 schools.
