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Report: Big 12 could be adding 4 new members as early as this week
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
In the wake of Texas and Oklahoma eventually departing, the Big 12 is set to add four new members as early as this week: BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston.
The report comes via ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg (subscription required).
With the exception of independent BYU, the teams are from the Group of Five but each have its own upside. Cincinnati is currently ranked No. 7. UCF went undefeated in 2017 and has a student body of over 70,000. BYU has a strong national following. Houston represents the nation’s fourth-largest city.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told Yahoo Sports that the new programs will each bring something significant.
“People see BYU as a Power Five team. … See that logo, they don’t really know they’re an independent, and think they’re tied into a Power Five conference. Central Florida has 71,000 students and they’re in a heck of a television market, and they have a heck of a recruiting base and they’ve played good football now,” Gundy said via Yahoo Sports. “Then you have Cincinnati, who has a a big television market. There’s a lot of people that live in that part of the country. And that logo has grown in popularity in the last few years, and they’re winning.”
Despite their lack of recent football success, Texas has the nation’s richest athletic program. Oklahoma meanwhile has dominated the Big 12, with six straight conference titles and being the lone conference program to make the College Football Playoff.
Rolando Rosa brings his experience covering college football to Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @RolandoRosa3.