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Cincinnati becomes first team to submit application to Big 12
By Nick Schultz
Published:
The realignment dominos continue to fall.
Cincinnati is gearing up to leave the American Athletic Conference and join the Big 12, according to Jason Williams of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Williams reports Cincinnati submitted its application to join the league Wednesday afternoon and the Big 12 is set to announce UC’s addition on Sept. 10.
Latest on Cincinnati moving to the Big 12:
• UC has officially submitted its application to join.
• The Big 12 is expected to announce Friday that UC will join.
• UC is required to give the AAC a 27-month notice to leave.
• The AAC's exit fee is $10M.https://t.co/2s084m1ha0— Keith Jenkins (@MrKeithJenkins) September 8, 2021
When Texas and Oklahoma announced their intentions to leave the Big 12, Cincinnati was one of the schools linked to the conference. Now, the Bearcats appear poised to make the move — and pay the AAC $10 million to do so.
The AAC requires a 27-month notice when a school leave the conference, meaning Cincinnati wouldn’t be able to join the Big 12 until 2023 at the earliest. BYU, UCF and Houston have also been rumored to join the league this week.
Realignment is officially off and running — and this is just the beginning. Buckle up.
Nick Schultz is a columnist and breaking news writer for Saturday Tradition. A 2020 graduate of Loyola Chicago, he covered the Ramblers' 2018 Final Four run from beginning to end and has worked at NBC Sports Chicago. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickSchultz_7.